U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-IA) and U.S. Representative Jim McGovern (D-CA) sent a letter to chip makers Intel and Nvidia on August 8 requesting information about the sale of advanced computer chips to China, which are allegedly being used in mass surveillance of the Uighur people in Xinjiang.
Reuters reports that Rubio and McGovern sent a letter to the CEOs of Intel and Nvidia asking them to answer questions about their exports to China, and that the CEOs were also asked if they were aware that their technology was being used to support Chinese police surveillance operations and if they were taking steps to ensure that their products were not being used to violate human rights or endanger U.S. national security.
Intel declined to comment for this story. Intel spokesman William Moss said that the company would not tolerate its products being used to commit human rights abuses, and that once the company became aware of the problem, it would stop or limit its business with third parties until it was confident that its products would not be used for such acts.
The UN estimates that more than one million Muslims are detained in re-education camps in Xinjiang. The U.S. State Department has accused Chinese officials of torturing and mistreating Uighur Muslims and attempting to fundamentally erase their culture and faith. U.S. President Donald Trump signed a bill earlier this year calling for sanctions against Chinese oppressors of the Uighur community.
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