Barcelona and French Star, Antoine Griezmann has terminated his sponsorship deal with Shenzhen-based company’s smartphones, Huawei, after having signed a deal with the company since 2017.
The French World Cup winner severed ties with the Chinese company following media reports that the technology giant has contributed to the repression of the Uighurs, a minority population in China that has been the subject of tough government measures aimed at combatting Islamic extremism, Independent reports
According to a report from IPVM, US-based surveillance research firm, the report lists dozens of basic functions of the Megvii’s facial recognition system which was verified by Huawei that includes a “Uyghur alert”.
Also according to the report, the Chinese technology giant worked with facial recognition company Megvii to test an identification system that could determine an individual’s age, sex and ethnicity by scanning a large crowd.
Following the publication of the allegations, Griezmann announced he has cut ties with the telecommunications company with a statement on his Instagram profile.
“Following strong suspicions that the Huawei company has contributed to the development of a ‘Uighur alert’ thanks to facial recognition software, I am announcing the immediate termination of my partnership with the company,” Griezmann said in an Instagram post.
“I take this opportunity to invite Huawei to not just deny these accusations but to take concrete actions as quickly as possible to condemn this mass repression, and to use its influence to contribute to the respect of human and women’s rights in society,” he added.
A Huawei spokesperson, in response said: “We would like to extend an invitation to speak to him personally, to explain the work that is currently being done at the highest level, inside the company, to address the issues of human rights, equality, and discrimination at all levels.”
