They include Apple, Google’s  parent company Alphabet, Microsoft , Dell and  Tesla.

A US-based non profit organization called International Rights Advocates is handling the case involving 14 families in the DRC.

Six of them have children who died in tunnel collapses.

Children from the other eight suffered severe injuries including paralysis.

The US district court in Washington, where the case has been filed,  will hear that the children were in fact part of a system of forced labour.

This is the first time tech-companies have jointly faced legal action over the source of their cobalt.

The post Congolese families sue tech giants over deaths and injuries to children mining cobalt for smartphones appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

The United States, citing protection of free speech, has opted out of the initiative championed by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Facebook, Google, Twitter, Microsoft and Amazon agreed at a Paris summit to a nine point plan to implement the Christchurch Call initiative which follows the fatal shooting in March of 51worshippers at two mosques in that city by a white extremist. 

New Zealand premier Jacinda Ardern co-hosted the Paris summit with France’s President Emmanuel Macron who is driving the Tech For Good programme designed , he says, to stop  the internet being used by terrorists for their hateful purposes.

The post Tech giants pledge action to bar extremists from internet appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

Sudanese-born telecommunications magnate Mo Ibrahim is in Washington for the US Africa summit.

Mo Ibrahim says he was amazed to be boarding a plane with businessmen bound for Washington to tell their American counterparts there are good opportunities in Africa.

African capitals are filled with Chinese, Asian and Brazilian business people who did not have to be told this.

He asks why it’s necessary to inform misinformed US businessmen.

They invented Google. They should use it.

Ibrahim says he’s uncomfortable with the hype about Africa.

With diverse conditions across the continent’s 54 countries, it is dangerous to overstate Africa’s economic emergence.

Having made billions from the sale of his telecommunications firm, Ibrahim has created a foundation rewarding African leaders for good governance.

The post Google Africa, advises Mo Ibrahim appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.