Playstation Component Incites African Conflict

[MattW]

Link here (http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/playstation-2-component-incites-african-war/1231745)

for the past decade the search for a rare metal necessary in the manufacturing of Sony's Playstation 2 game console has fueled a brutal conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Allegedly, the demand for coltan prompted Rwandan military groups and western mining companies to plunder hundreds of millions of dollars worth of the rare metal, often by forcing prisoners-of-war and even children to work in the country's coltan mines.

So where's the connection to Sony? According to Toward Freedom, during the 2000 launch of the PS2, the electronics giant was having trouble meeting consumer demand. To pump out more units, Sony required a significant increase in the production of electric capacitors, which are primarily made with tantalum. This helped drive the world price of the powder from $49/pound to a whopping $275/pound, resulting in the frenzied scouring of the Congolese hills known for being ripe with coltan.


And people complain about human rights abuses in China. I knew Sony was evil, but I thought it was because they used proprietary formats and hardware.

[clintl]

And people complain about human rights abuses in China. I knew Sony was evil, but I thought it was because they used proprietary formats and hardware.

Whatever you think of Sony, to blame for this on the Playstation 2 is either profoundly ignorant of this particular reporter, or profoundly dishonest. Tantalum capacitors are an extremely common type of capacitor used in many, many different types of electronics products. I guarantee you'll find them in the computer you used to make your post, your radios, your television, your cell phone if you have one, the cell phone base station that transmits your calls, etc. For a specific range of capacitor values, it is the standard capacitor technology, and has been for decades. And I know this because I used to work in the electronics industry, and we designed them into our products all the time.

As the article points out, Sony is no longer buying capacitors with tantalum from Congo, which as far as I'm concerned, does get them off the hook. And it's no more Sony's fault than any other manufacturers that the resource is getting scarce and prices are going up. I guarantee you that to Sony, the price increase is a problem they do not want.

[Don]

Link here (http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/playstation-2-component-incites-african-war/1231745)
And people complain about human rights abuses in China. I knew Sony was evil, but I thought it was because they used proprietary formats and hardware.
What a hit piece! This article could have been written about any large electronics manufacturing company.

The article's full of loaded and weasel words, too. Allegedly, plunder, exploiting, significant increase, helped drive, a big part of the huge increase, plausible deniability, don't care to know, and nearly inconceivable all make an appearance.
After processing, coltan turns into a powder called tantalum, which is used extensively in a wealth of western electronic devices including cell phones, computers and, of course, game consoles.
All these devices are being produced in huge and increasing quantities, and it's even broader. Almost anything that plugs into the wall is going to have some capacitors. There are no stats, of course, but I'd be curious as to what % of tantalum was used in PS2s.

Allegedly, the demand for coltan prompted Rwandan military groups and western mining companies to plunder hundreds of millions of dollars worth of the rare metal, often by forcing prisoners-of-war and even children to work in the country's coltan mines.

There's one of those weasel words, leading off the paragraph. Now we meet the real villians, if there are any, people committing real crimes against real people. Military groups abusing POWs and mining companies exploiting children. The first case is self-defined. What constitutes exploitation? Are they breaking laws in the country where the mining is taking place? If not, then the government is to blame, not the companies working within the defined regulations. Oh, and Sony doesn't do any mining, so they're not doing the exploiting, if there is any.
To pump out more units, Sony required a significant increase in the production of electric capacitors, which are primarily made with tantalum.
Okay, by what percentage did production have to increase? If it's a significant one, wouldn't it be worth quoting?

But statistical analysis shows it to be nearly inconceivable that SONY made all its PlayStations without using Congolese coltan.

Statistical analysis can show almost anything is nearly inconceivable. Even if some of that terrible Congolese coltan snuck in, why is that a problem for Sony? They bought a product. If you bought a new cell phone in the last ten years, you're as 'guilty' as Sony.
"Kids in Congo were being sent down mines to die so that kids in Europe and America could kill imaginary aliens in their living rooms," said Ex-British Parliament Member Oona King.
I'll be editing Wikipaedia shortly to replace the current definition of hyperbole with that statement.

[Plot Device]

This is an excellent piece that can be used to urge poeple to bring their old computer components to a local recycling center rather than tossing them into the trash. While most of your keyboard is worthless plastic, there are a few small components to it that can be recycled, and GLADLY so.

[clintl]

Here's more information about tantalum and its uses, including some information about where tantalum is produced. Half of the world's tantalum supply comes from Australia.

http://www.tanb.org/tantalum1.html