Grizmann Antawn (Antoine Griezmann)

Grizmann Antawn (Antoine Griezmann)

Biography

2020: Termination of the advertizing contract with Huawei

In the middle of December, 2020 it became known that the French football player Antawn Grizmann broke off the advertizing contract with the Chinese company Huawei in connection with statements that the telecommunication giant takes part in programs of shadowing residents of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (the northwest of China), mainly ethnic Uyghurs who practise Islam.

Grizmann announced that he "immediately" breaks off the contract with Huawei against the background of messages that the company takes part in development of programs for face recognition which is capable to distinguish ethnic Uyghurs from Chinese, in particular. Cooperation of the football player with telecommunication the companies began in 2017, Grizmann was one of persons of an advertizing campaign of Huawei in France.

Huawei reacted to Grizmann's statement, having stated that the company regrets for the solution of the athlete, it calls charges against it false.

Commenting on the solution of the football player, Huawei noted:

It is incompatible with values of Huawei. Our technologies are not intended for identification of ethnic groups. The lack of discrimination is the cornerstone of our values as the companies. We would like to invite it to a personal meeting with us to explain at what high level now work for problem solving of human rights violation, equality and discrimination is conducted and also to assure it and all our clients and partners that Huawei very seriously treats concerns of this sort.

Charges against Huawei appeared at the beginning of December, 2020. The American company IPVM announced participation of the telecommunication giant in software development intended for face recognition of people including on such characteristics as age, sex, ethnic origin.^[1]

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