Complicit

Year 2018Episode 1550 minmai 21, 2018
Complicit

This episode of Four Corners screens a shortened version of the 2017 human rights documentary Complicit, directed by Heather White & Lynn Zhang.

Filmed over 3 years it investigates the Chinese workers paying the price for our mobile phone obsession.

"There were iPhone screens and Nokia screens…I held the phone screen in my left hand, and a piece of cloth in my right hand… Wiping was the only thing I did besides eating and sleeping." Teenage worker

Mobile phones, smartphones and tablets have revolutionised the way we communicate but the technology we are addicted to has had toxic consequences.

"I knew we worked with chemicals, but I had no idea that it's poison." Young worker

China produces approximately 90% of the world's consumer electronics. The factories making the components for these electronic goods are filled with young workers. Some have been exposed to poisonous chemicals, with devastating results.

"Many co-workers developed the exact same symptoms. When I walked, it looked like I had uneven legs. It would take 10 minutes to take a two-minute walk. My legs felt too heavy to move." Worker

This investigation, filmed secretly over four years, exposed the use of harmful chemicals in the factories producing the products many of us use. Hidden cameras captured the working conditions inside the factories churning out these products.

"It was the cleaning solution he used, which contained benzene, when he was working at the electronics factory that caused his disease." Father of sick worker

The film charts the growing realisation amongst the workers that their illnesses stem from their work and follows their fight for compensation.

"After we discovered so many workers with leukemia…more media reports followed up and showed that these workers were chemically poisoned." Worker activist

The landmark investigation led Apple to ban the use of benzene, a known carcinogen, and n-hexane, a chemical that damages the nervous system.

But the ban does not apply to subcontractors who make up two-thirds of Apple's supply chain. And around 500 other chemicals are still used to produce electronics, mostly in the developing world, where there are few or no regulations to protect the workers who make them.

"Many of the workers that I've helped got occupational diseases due to exposure to toxic chemicals. Many are from the electronics industry. They made cell phones, computers, semiconductors etc." Worker activist

Complicit has aired on mai 21, 2018 at 20:30
Previous EpisodeNext Episode

Trailer

We do not have any trailers for this episode

Recently Updated Shows

Recently updated shows that might be of your interest.
Days of Our Lives
Running

Days of Our Lives

Days of our Lives is set in the fictitious Midwestern town of Salem. The core families are the Bradys, the Hortons and the DiMeras, and the multi-layered storylines involve elements of romance, adventure, mystery, comedy and drama.

Beginning on September 12, 2022, DAYS became exclusive to streaming on Peacock.

Bookish
Running

Bookish

London, 1946 is the dynamic, dangerous and chaotic setting for this stylish new detective drama, with the eccentric Gabriel Book at the very heart of the story: a self-appointed consultant detective to the local police. The thousands of books that line the shelves of his shop provide him with all the knowledge he needs.

Book has gathered around him a host of lovable, damaged misfits whom he informally protects, cajoles, and mentors. His wife Trottie runs the wallpaper shop next door. She's a charismatic adventuress whom Book loves deeply but not physically, for they are in a 'lavender' marriage to help conceal Book's sexual orientation in a time when it was illegal to be gay.

Bookish marries post-war nostalgia with the reckless and life-affirming atmosphere of the times, creating a fast-paced and stylish detective drama.

GenreDrama, Crime
Beyond the Gates
Running

Beyond the Gates

Beyond the Gates is set in a leafy Maryland suburb just outside of Washington D.C., and in one the most affluent African American counties in the United States. Here you'll find a posh gated community with winding tree-lined streets and luxurious mansions to call home. At the center of this community are the Duprees, a powerful and prestigious multi-generational family that is the very definition of Black royalty. But behind these pristine walls and lush, manicured gardens are juicy secrets and scandals waiting to be uncovered. And those that live outside these gates are watching closely. These are the places where our characters live, love, work and play. Those who have "made it" and those who haven't are all trying to navigate life … and some with more grace than others.

GenreDrama
The 1% Club
Running

The 1% Club

The 1% Club is a unique, compelling and funny entertainment show that tests the nation's intelligence, based on a scientific survey. It's a chance to test how your brain works through a series of questions that all have a right answer but can also lead to a series of entertaining wrong answers along the way. Whether you're a contestant vying for the cash prize or a viewer playing with your friends and family on the app, answer enough questions correctly, and you could earn yourself a place in the 1% Club: an elite group of people who can honestly say they've outwitted 99% of the population.

The Snake
Running

The Snake

The Snake will follow 15 people from various professions trying to manipulate their way to becoming that week's snake, who decides who stays and who leaves the show, through a series of challenges. Each week, the winner of each challenge earns control of ‘The Saving Ceremony', an elimination that is about who will save certain contestants with people making friends, faking friends, or sparking romantic connections with the winner taking home $100,000.