Phone Story, our short game about the dark side of electronics manufacturing, came out 8 years ago. It was immediately banned from the App Store but it has been exhibited in countless of venues around the world, including at a landmark exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London last year.
The exhibitions don’t generate any revenues for Molleindustria, but the $1 app is still available* on Google Play and makes a tiny amount of money every month.
We pledged to donate all the project’s proceedings to organizations working to address the various problems outlined in the game. The first donation went directly to one of the affected Foxconn workers, the second installment went to China Labor Watch and the Electronics Take Back Coalition.
Since then, the app made a net total of $2,552 which we are splitting evenly between two other great organizations:
The Repair Association advocates for the consumer’s right to unlock, repair, and resell the technological products they purchased. This is a crucial aspect of the fight against planned obsolescence and electronic consumerism.
China Labour Bulletin supports the emergent workers’ movement in China. While not specifically focused on electronics, it seeks to introduce workplace democracy and collective bargaining across industries.
Online transactions don’t generate official looking receipt and this endeavor doesn’t move enough money to be officially chartered as some kind of no profit but you can download all the payments and donation reports here.
If you live in Europe, next time you have to replace a smartphone, consider the Fairphone. As far as ethical consumption under capitalism goes, it’s a remarkable example of transparency and responsible sourcing across the supply chain.
*new Android phones might have troubles running it due to an Adobe AIR update.