Apple, Tesla Win Cobalt Suit. But Who Loses?: Stephen L. Carter

We all rely on cobalt every time we rely on the lithium-ion batteries that power our phones or laptops or EVs. We don’t always allow ourselves to remember that by far the world’s greatest source of cobalt, both productive mines and known reserves, is the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which means, tragically, that the material is sometimes the product of child or forced labor. Nobody knows how much — the issue is debated — but nobody denies the problem.

Does that horrific truth mean Big Tech is liable for the torture and death of enslaved cobalt miners? This week, in Doe v. ...