ABSTRACT
One of the sharpest ironies of the Information Age is that it is easier for electronics to trace people than for people to trace the materials and labor that make their electronics. A fragmented global supply chain conceals who makes what, how they make it, and with what materials. Electronics companies have a strong incentive to conceal this supply chain from their employees, customers, and even from top management: it is filled with hazards for workers and their communities that tarnish the image of a clean industry of the future. Even the major brand owners—Apple, Dell, and the like—do not know all of the materials and chemicals that end up in these companies’ own products.
