I did inadvertently manage to get one useful bit of information out of them though. Samsung have for a long while been customers of sweatshop touchscreen outsourcer, Young Fast Optoelectronics (YFO), who provide them with LCD touchscreens. However, as I was asking specifically about the Galaxy S2 model, I found out that as Samsung have been the pioneers in AMOLED screen technology, they built the capacity to make the new type of screens in house, rather than use screen suppliers.

So this means if you’re looking at an AMOLED model (such as the current flagship Galaxy S2 or the forthcoming, and very tasty looking, Google Nexus Prime), the screen is a Samsung product. For their cheaper phones with LCD screens, I guess the screens are still coming from the unionbusting YFO.

Of course, I’m guessing the switch had more to do with making the most of Samsung’s own screen technologies, rather than any kind of reaction to their business ethics, so this is hardly a ringing endorsement, given that reading between the lines, they still use YFO for other models, and haven’t made any public comment I can find.

Second black mark against Samsung in recent times has been their lack of concern for the safety of their own workforce and the environment in parts of screen manufacture. Greenpeace have been on their case for some time, since most other electronics manufacturers started ditching the chemicals Brominated Flame Retardant (BFR) and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC).

I asked Samsung specifically about this, but again no answer. However I recently stumbled on a new policy page on their site, which claims that they’re now BFR and PVC clear on all new model mobile phones since April 2010. So if your phone was launched after that date, it should hopefully be in the clear, meaning again that the Galaxy S2 and Nexus Prime are BFR and PVC free.

Presumably they didn’t want to crow about this though given their extreme tardiness in following the rest of the industry, and the between-the-lines admission that they may still be using the chemicals in 18 month old models that are still being manufactured (the original Galaxy S is still on sale – not sure if it qualifies).

So at the moment, Samsung seems to be sitting top of my ethical smartphone pile, ahead of heavy YFO customer HTC and Foxconn’s favourites Apple, but it’s a hollow recommendation, not really through any kind of positive action, and only true for the phones I’ve been looking at (Galaxy SII and Nexus Prime) rather than the manufacturer more widely.

The case hinges on comments he made on behalf of a group of Burmese migrant workers in the country, who alleged they had been promised much better pay and conditions by the company than they eventually received. When they complained, they were threatened with termination and deportation.

Worryingly, the trial looks to be stacked against Hector, with the court issuing a statement in advance that the blog posting under discussion was factually incorrect, and refusing to allow the migrant workers affected to join the suit.

Hector is being threatened in what seems to be an attempt to chill discussion of Asahi Kosei’s business and human rights issues in Malaysia. The company works as an outsourced supplier of many major electronics and motor brands, such as Hitachi, Sony, Seagate, Toshiba and JVC – none of whom would be too happy to be dragged into an Apple/Foxconn style labour abuses story.

Calling for such punitive damages is a clear deterrant to other human rights group and individuals from investigating how the company treat their migrant workforce, or representing people in cases where they’ve been abused by employers.

The many migrant workers in Malaysia are in a precarious position, facing deportation and whipping if they lose their jobs, so it takes a lot of courage to become a whistleblower as this group have done. Lets’ hope the court case gets thrown out, so in future it won’t require just as much courage for others to show solidarity with them.

There are a number of things you can do right now:

• Sign Good Electronics’ campaign action to Asahi Kosei’s key customers Hitachi.
• Sign Change.org’s petition on Asahi Kosei’s customers.
• Take Frontline’s online action calling for a fair trial.
• Sign the Asian Human Rights Commission’s petition for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the action.