Hacker News Reader

Comment by qaq | Hacker News Reader

I like how people get outraged at US tech giants but gracefully ignore the fact that Glencore which actually is the beneficiary of exploiting the children is based in Europe. It's no small target either with annual revenue of 219.8 billion in 2018 vs Google's 136.

View on HN

Im sure the lawyers thought of that angle, but the mining company currently doesn’t do anything to effect change so they probably won’t unless their customers (tech companies) demand a change.

It really is unfortunate. The mining company should build out proper infrastructure but I’m guessing they just delegate to (corrupt) locals.

This is no different than all the global environmental issues we’re facing with large scale production facilities (bottled water, petroleum, etc. are a huge problem too). The indigenous populations are getting fucked over because they live in remote areas prime for exploitation. Then the factories close down and don’t clean anything up.

I should point out this is also happening in developed countries like Canada and the USA. For instance, what is the difference between children mining cobalt and children being exposed to mercury poisoning because their rivers upstream there’s a paper plant dumping toxic waste into the food supply in Ontario, or petrol industry in Texas poisoning neighboring schools with chemical fumes.

This is not a mishap Glencore is tied to so much corruption (ties to every dictator imaginable)and despicable practices across the globe.

The mining company will only respond to supply and demand.

But I mean, you see what’s wrong here right? The lawyers thought about it from the angle of who’s actually responsible, but realized that suing that company probably wouldn’t accomplish much lasting change. So they made up reasons to also sue popular tech companies, in hopes that embarrassing them will help serve the lawyers’ goals. That’s not how the process is supposed to work.

"And I would encourage the people at Glencore to take this seriously" is the harshest thing they actually say about them . The company that fronts for people responsible for unimaginable amount of horrors from Putin's inner circle to Dictators all over the world.

Absolutely, but when the process itself doesn’t work, then what? Gotta take a different approach and apply pressure somehow.

People really seem to be sharpening the axe for our big tech companies these days. Personally I find it disturbing. These companies are a river of prosperity for our people, especially software developers

Um... Only software developers.

And human resources departments, and finance departments, and investors, and people with 401ks, and people who depend on taxes, and anyone who sells goods etc... They produce a lot of value to the US economy

> and people who depend on taxes

What is that supposed to mean?

We all depend on taxes. Have you heard of public infrastructure? NASA? DoJ?

It's super disingenuous to pretend that the average employee is somehow getting massive value from giant tech companies. Someone would need to be very (probably intentionally) oblivious to believe that.

OP meant people employed by local city and state governments, that the tech company resides in probably.

Big tech companies maybe don't put kids into mines, but they have other ethical issues (privacy, manipulation with public opinion, etc). I don't think anyone can reliably tell that their issues are more ethical or less ethical than child slavery.

"I don't think anyone can reliably tell that their issues are more ethical or less ethical than child slavery" are you seriously comparing targeting algorithms and child slavery and children dying in mining accidents?

I suppose you seriously underestimate the harm it causes, and its scale. Hint: chasing "user engagement" boosts extremism and violence.

This sounds like an argument I hear about the nuclear deterrent in the UK. "This brings jobs to the area". There are plenty of serious discussions about the existential threat posed / mitigated / whatever by nuclear weapons without mixing in the incidentals like this. Of course it wins votes.

Big companies a century ago made a lot of cash out of exploiting slave labour overseas. And, I'm sure, plenty of people thought they couldn't live without whatever commodity they were getting for cheap on the back of foreign lives.

This hasn't stopped. We need to keep the dialogue open. The axes should be just as sharp for the new colonial powers.

Maybe it seems like there's a never-ending stream of history to be on the wrong side of, but that can't be an impediment to action.

(Apologies if the parent comment was satyrical)

Glencore's statement is at the link below.

https://www.glencore.com/media-and-insights/news/Glencore-st...

Reply on news.ycombinator.com