Unassuming techies who logged onto the Intel Facebook page last week weren’t impressed. Foreign profile pictures with images of war-affected Congolese began to smatter the face of Intel. Thumbnail posters of red — like blood spots — began contaminating their page with the words, “We’ll pay the extra 1 cent. Her Life is Worth It.” Spurred by the recent activities of author/activist Lisa Shannon, supporters of The Conflict Minerals Trade Act were throwing their weight behind the bill by confronting Intel by way of a virtual sit-in.
Earlier this month, on the heals of her book tour for A Thousand Sisters: My Journey Into The Worst Place on Earth to be A Woman, Shannon attended a senate briefing in Washington, D.C., along with Enough co-founder John Prendergast. They were both there to speak about conflict minerals (the three T’s: tantalum, tungsten and tin as well as gold) and the ongoing war in Congo; and to urge officials to co-sponsor Conflict Minerals Legislation.
While in D.C., Lisa was leaked a document showing leaders in the tech industry — yes, Intel included — who were lobbying to get the bill watered down. According to the document, Intel along with others, crossed out language in the bill that would hold industry accountable for fraud and gross negligence. At the same time another tidbit of information came toward Shannon, who has met scores of survivors of rape, child soldiers and seen the brutal effects of 15 years of near-constant war. She learned that experts had estimated that passage and implementation of the bill would cost industry producers less than one cent per product. Hence, the one cent campaign spreading on Facebook and the hatching of a plan to confront industry leaders face to face. Shannon reported to Tonic: “We are pushing now for all tech companies to guarantee they are going conflict free and sign a bold statement in support for the bill”.
First proposed by Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA) in 2009, a version of The Conflict Minerals Trade Act was passed in the senate on May 21 of this year. It now moves to the house where, for the next two months, it will be worked on to match the stronger Senate version. Recognizing this as a critical moment when the bill could either be strengthened (by ensuring more supply-chain accountability) or weakend (if certain industry leaders don’t come to bat for the Congolese), Shannon wants to talk the tech industry off the proverbial fence.
Congressman McDermott explained to Tonic in an email, “Any legislation designed to decrease the use of conflict minerals must have an iron-clad requirement for transparency so that consumers know if a company is using conflict minerals in their products. If companies are honest and transparent, the public and NGOs will help keep them accountable and the use of conflict minerals will decrease.”
Armed with 45,000 pennies — a penny for each life lost monthly due to the conflict minerals trade, and the one penny per product the Conflict Minerals Trade Act would cost tech companies — Shannon is actively showing up on the doorstep of big business. Her first stop last week was Intel Corp in her home-state of Oregon. She acknowledges the company has been a frontrunner in the willingness to address the issue of conflict minerals, but judging by the leaked document in D.C., they don’t appear to be committed to full accountability. Camped out with a handful of supporters, including her mother, she arrived with a letter urging Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini to be the first to commit to a strengthened version of the bill. They were met by two security guards delivering a message — that the Portland branch doesn’t have a Corporate Social Responsibility division. That office is located on Intel’s Santa Clara campus.
By the time the sun rose over Beaverton the next day, the Facebook campaign had begun. Regular Intel posts were fighting for space amidst requests by activists: “Add me to the list of people who are carefully watching Intel’s response to Intel, make us proud by actively supporting the Conflict Minerals Trade Act. You are an industry leader, and an example in many ways. We will continue to support your good work if you do the right thing.”
It wasn’t long before Intel, obviously unprepared for this new wave of social media combat, reacted first by deleting posts then disabling new comments. Eventually they re-posted a few, then succumbed to creating a new link specific to the cause. This is the way it is when we try to erase stains, especially those of blood: The more you rub, the more they spread.
Supported by Enough’s Change the Equation for the Congo campaign, advocates for stronger legislation staged virtual marches all this past week on the Facebook pages of HP, Apple and Nintendo Wii. And in step, so too, was Lisa Shannon showing up, this time on their Silicon Valley doorsteps with pen and paper in hand — looking for a CEO who would commit to a strengthened bill. She was even offering to let them keep the pennies since none of the multi-billion-dollar firms seemed to be able to afford the sacrifice of a cent.
Congressman McDermott adds, “This conflict has been largely fueled by companies who — knowingly or not — use minerals from the DRC that are funding war. While companies like Intel and HP have taken some first steps on their own, I hope they will help strengthen the bill rather than water it down to make compliance voluntary since we know purely voluntary schemes never work. With about 1,000 being killed in the conflict every day, we need the strongest legislation possible.”
By Thursday not one company had agreed to a public meeting with Shannon, and no one had signed the letter. Apple’s PR staff flatly 
claimed on camera that Apple is conflict free. On her facebook site Shannon states, “It would make them the ONLY TECH CO IN THE WORLD to be so. Funny, because no credible certification system yet exists.” Her response, “Take a bundle of pennies to your local Apple store, with a note to Steve Jobs asking Apple to become the industry leader in compassion, not just sales. Guarantee Conflict Free.”
“On a personal level,“ Shannon admits, “this is not my standard MO. But one Congolese woman has been on my mind. She told the story of her gang rape in a documentary film, then again to the Congolese government in Kinshasa. When she got home, they broke into her house and gang raped her again. I keep thinking of her, and how much courage it takes for Congolese women to tell the truth to end the violence there. Big corporations are intimidating. I’m way out of my comfort zone. I abhor confrontation. But I owe it to all the women in Congo who have told me their stories. This feels like the least I can do. Just show up and tell the truth. I plan to keep doing so.”
Tonic readers: Want to help Lisa Shannon in her quest?
Take the conflict minerals pledge.
Read about the book, A Thousand Sisters: My Journey into the Worst Place on Earth To Be a Woman on Tonic.
Watch the video below, in which Enough’s John Prendergast explains how armed groups in Congo benefit from the purchases we make here at home:
Photos courtesy Sherry Harbert