Microsoft Surface Pro 10 

55

100

11

20

75

77.6

15

20

50

100

10

20

60

100

12

20

40

84

8

20

People

Artisanal miners, children and their families in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Cobalt extraction can involve hazardous, life-threatening work, child labour, unstable income and weak access to remedy.

Electronics-sector risk. It is not proof that cobalt in this exact device came from an abusive mine.

Mine-affected peoples

Workers, Indigenous peoples and communities across cobalt, copper, lithium, nickel, rare-earth and 3TG supply chains

Electronics mineral supply chains can carry intertwined risks involving labour rights, armed conflict, corruption, land, water, pollution and taxation. A recycled-content percentage does not by itself prove that the remaining primary material is harm-free.

Sector-wide critical-minerals risk covering more than cobalt. Exact attribution requires mine, processor, smelter and chain-of-custody evidence for the device.

Children & e-waste workers

Children, pregnant workers and families working or living near informal electronics recycling and dumpsites

Unsafe e-waste recycling can release lead, mercury, cadmium, flame retardants and other toxic substances. WHO links exposure with lifelong neurological, respiratory, reproductive and other health harms, and estimates millions of children and women may be at risk.

Global end-of-life sector evidence. It is not proof that this exact discarded device reached a named dumpsite; company take-back, repair and verified downstream recycling evidence is assessed separately.

Repairers & consumers

Device owners, lower-income households and independent repair businesses

Parts pairing, software locks, unavailable manuals or parts and repair-hostile design can raise costs, reduce choice and push working products toward replacement. The FTC found scant evidence for many broad manufacturer justifications for repair restrictions.

Sector and market evidence, especially mobile devices. The listing's repairability and parts evidence shows whether this product and manufacturer reduce or reproduce that harm.

Users & civil society

Users, journalists, activists, dissidents and communities disproportionately targeted by surveillance

Devices, platforms and private surveillance technologies can enable tracking, censorship, harassment and interference with privacy, expression, association and assembly when safeguards and accountability fail.

Technology-sector human-rights risk. A company is marked only where its policies, product conduct, contracts, enforcement records or documented use establish responsibility.

Civilians & targeted communities

Civilians, humanitarian workers and communities affected by military, intelligence, policing or occupation-linked technology

Drones, cloud services, communications, AI and surveillance systems can contribute to targeting, repression or denial of essential services. Those consequences must be shown alongside any documented corporate contract or deployment.

Sector-level pathway, not an allegation against every electronics brand. Company attribution requires evidence of a relevant contract, system, use or failure of human-rights due diligence.

Communities receiving waste

Communities and ecosystems where discarded electronics are dumped, burned or processed without adequate controls

The world generated 62 million tonnes of e-waste in 2022 and only 22.3% was documented as properly collected and recycled. Uncontrolled disposal can pollute air, soil, aquifers and drinking water while transferring health costs to communities with the least protection.

Global sector evidence. A brand's downstream responsibility depends on verified collection volumes, reuse, recycler standards and export or disposal records - not the existence of a take-back webpage alone.