"Tech Giants Cleared of Child Labor Allegations in Congo Mines"

A US appeals court ruled that major tech companies, including Apple, Alphabet, Dell, Microsoft, and Tesla, do not have to compensate victims of forced child labor in cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The court dismissed the lawsuit, stating that purchasing cobalt through the global supply chain does not constitute "participation in a venture" under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. The plaintiffs alleged that the tech companies were aware of and participated in a venture with their cobalt suppliers who engaged in forced labor, but the court ruled that there was no shared enterprise between the companies and the suppliers.