Exclusive: Group seeks import ban on Apple gear over forced labor

Catch-up quick: A report by The Information earlier this year linked seven Apple suppliers to forced labor, including by Uyghurs living in Xinjiang.

• That report included information from Tech Transparency Project.
• The suppliers implicated ranged from those that make various tech components to a company that supplies uniforms for retail workers.
• Apple denied the allegation, telling The Information that it “found no evidence of forced labor anywhere we operate."

What they're saying: "Overall, Apple seems unable or unwilling to conduct basic due diligence research on its partners, or to acknowledge its repeated use of forced labor in China," the Tech Transparency Project says in its complaint, a copy of which was seen by Axios. "Customs and Border Protection must spur Apple and other companies doing business in China to respect the rights of Uyghurs."

The big picture: Apple is not unique. Much of the tech industry sources its products from China, including Facebook, Google and Amazon — and other companies have made use of the same suppliers as Apple.

Go deeper: Apple lobbied Congress on bill targeting slave labor in China