Foxconn Guards Assault Reporter in Public?

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This technology world we’re reporting on so often here on TFTS is not just fun and games. Sure we get to see marvelous products that make us want to buy them for no apparent reason. But behind them is a world in which security and secrecy go hand in hand with innovation and research. Without total control of the information that goes in and out of your company and your suppliers you can’t expect to win the race against your fierce competitors.

But does that mean that anything goes? A strange Reuters report is saying that Foxconn guards have verbally and physically abused a reporter that was taking pictures of a Foxconn plant in Guanlan near Longhua. The company is an already famous supplier for Apple so that would explain, at least to some extent, the stress and the pressure that some of its employees and especially the guards feel. Apple is pretty paranoid when it comes to protecting its products and managing leaks, but we all knew that already.

The guards apparently tried to invite (read drag) the Reuters reporter into the factory but he refused calling the cops instead. The police soon came and everyone calmed down. The guards apologized and the reported was given the option of filing a complaint but the policeman also explained that:

You’re free to do what you want. But this is Foxconn and they have a special status here. Please understand.

So who is to blame here? Apple? Foxconn? The overexcited guards or the reporter? It’s understandable why Apple goes through such great lengths to keep everyone guessing about their upcoming products. It’s also understandable why Foxconn would not want to jeopardize such a successful relationship with one of the hottest companies in the world by risking unnecessary leaks.

But one can’t understand why guards would assault a person for simply taking some photos of the exterior of a plant. After all Google takes photos of the same location from space. In both cases there’s no chance that an Apple hot product will get leaked to the Internets. Will those guards come after those satellites too?

Picture from Reuters.com