Cisco Sued, Accused of Helping Design China’s Great Firewall

Following a lawsuit filed against Baidu by eight Chinese New York residents...Chinese Falun Gong practitioners have sued Cisco in US Federal court in San Jose. They claim that the company has helped the Chinese government persecute their religious movement, in a violation of human rights. According to the [Wall Street Journal] report, a Cisco spokesman says that “there is no basis for these allegations against Cisco, and we intend to vigorously defend against them.” [also refers to Google, Yahoo]

Timeline

USA: Cisco petitions Supreme Court to review ruling on surveillance case

Date:

4 Feb 2025

Content Type:

Article

Cisco Systems has filed a petition asking the US Supreme Court to review a ruling allowing aiding and abetting claims under the Alien Tort Statute and Torture Victim Protection Act. The case centres on allegations that Cisco helped build surveillance systems used to target Falun Gong practitioners in China.
USA: Court of Appeals confirms Cisco Systems can face liability for providing surveillance technology used to facilitate human rights abuses

Date:

18 Sep 2024

Content Type:

Article

"Last week, the US Court of Appeals affirmed its powerful 2023 decision that aiding and abetting liability in US courts can apply to technology companies that provide sophisticated surveillance systems that are used to facilitate human rights abuses."
USA: Appeals court decision in Cisco Systems Inc. case establishes narrow precedent for bringing human rights claims against U.S. corporations

Date:

19 Jul 2023

Content Type:

Article

The Court rejected Cisco's argument that domestic corporations cannot be sued under the Alien Tort Statute, a law allowing non-U.S. citizens to bring tort claims that violate international law in U.S. courts. To bring similar cases in the future, plaintiffs must demonstrate that a domestic company engaged in substantial conduct in the U.S. with the knowledge it was enabling human rights violations abroad.
USA: Appeals Court rules that Lawsuit accusing Cisco of enabling chinese regime's persecution of Falun Gong can move forward

Date:

9 Jul 2023

Content Type:

Article

A U.S. Appeals Court has revived a lawsuit accusing Cisco of helping China build a surveillance system to track and persecute Falun Gong practitioners. The lawsuit alleges that Cisco provided customized software and training to Chinese officials on how to use the technology, which allowed the regime to identify, round up, and torture members of the religious group.
Plaintiffs in Cisco lawsuit ask Court to revive US case over alleged surveillance of Falun Gong members in China

Date:

24 May 2017

Content Type:

Article
EFF says Cisco shouldn't get off the hook for torture in China

Date:

13 Jan 2016

Content Type:

Article
EFF To Court: Cisco Must Be Held Accountable For Aiding China’s Human Rights Abuses

Date:

12 Jan 2016

Content Type:

Article
Doe, et al. v. Cisco Systems: Brief of amici curiae Electronic Frontier Foundation, Article 19 and Privacy International in support of Plaintiffs-Appellants & reversal

Date:

11 Jan 2016

Content Type:

Article
Blog series on lawsuit in USA against Cisco over alleged complicity in provision of surveillance system targeting Chinese dissidents

Date:

26 Mar 2015

Content Type:

Article
Access to justice for victims of human rights abuses needs to be strengthened

Date:

4 Dec 2014

Content Type:

Article
Standard behind US Court dismissal of Alien Tort case against Occidental & AirScan “sufficiently vague for corporations to hide behind”, says journalist

Date:

25 Nov 2014

Content Type:

Article
Cisco Won't Face Claim it Abetted Torture in China

Date:

11 Sep 2014

Content Type:

Article
Cisco is mute on accusations of aiding Chinese state snooping

Date:

11 Apr 2014

Content Type:

Article
Cisco cleared in rights case, as tech sector watches [USA/China]

Date:

1 Mar 2014

Content Type:

Article
[PDF] Out of Bounds - Accountability for Corporate Human Rights Abuse After Kiobel

Date:

30 Sep 2013

Content Type:

Article
The Supreme Court: Corporate America's Employees of the Month

Date:

27 Jun 2013

Content Type:

Article
Companies Shielded as U.S. Court Cuts Human-Rights Suits

Date:

17 Apr 2013

Content Type:

Article
Peer Pressure

Date:

1 May 2012

Content Type:

Article
A U.S. Tie to Surveillance Push in Chinese Cities

Date:

15 Mar 2012

Content Type:

Article
Cisco's role in Falun Gong crackdown in dispute [China]

Date:

11 Mar 2012

Content Type:

Article
Corporate Accountability Now

Date:

21 Feb 2012

Content Type:

Article
Debating human rights in the IT industry [USA]

Date:

31 Oct 2011

Content Type:

Article
Should tech companies do business in China?

Date:

22 Sep 2011

Content Type:

Article
New evidence links Cisco to jailing and torture of Chinese

Date:

6 Sep 2011

Content Type:

Article
Du Daobin v. Cisco - Du Daobin Interrogated by Ministry of Public Security [China]

Date:

3 Aug 2011

Content Type:

Article
Tort and technology: Lawyers and legislators put pressure on globe-trotting tech firms [China]

Date:

21 Jul 2011

Content Type:

Article
Cisco Sued, Accused of Helping Design China’s Great Firewall

Date:

23 May 2011

Content Type:

Article

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Cisco Sued, Accused of Helping Design China’s Great Firewall

Timeline

USA: Cisco petitions Supreme Court to review ruling on surveillance case

USA: Court of Appeals confirms Cisco Systems can face liability for providing surveillance technology used to facilitate human rights abuses

USA: Appeals court decision in Cisco Systems Inc. case establishes narrow precedent for bringing human rights claims against U.S. corporations

USA: Appeals Court rules that Lawsuit accusing Cisco of enabling chinese regime's persecution of Falun Gong can move forward

Plaintiffs in Cisco lawsuit ask Court to revive US case over alleged surveillance of Falun Gong members in China

EFF says Cisco shouldn't get off the hook for torture in China

EFF To Court: Cisco Must Be Held Accountable For Aiding China’s Human Rights Abuses

Doe, et al. v. Cisco Systems: Brief of amici curiae Electronic Frontier Foundation, Article 19 and Privacy International in support of Plaintiffs-Appellants & reversal

Blog series on lawsuit in USA against Cisco over alleged complicity in provision of surveillance system targeting Chinese dissidents

Access to justice for victims of human rights abuses needs to be strengthened

Standard behind US Court dismissal of Alien Tort case against Occidental & AirScan “sufficiently vague for corporations to hide behind”, says journalist

Cisco Won't Face Claim it Abetted Torture in China

Cisco is mute on accusations of aiding Chinese state snooping

Cisco cleared in rights case, as tech sector watches [USA/China]

[PDF] Out of Bounds - Accountability for Corporate Human Rights Abuse After Kiobel

The Supreme Court: Corporate America's Employees of the Month

Companies Shielded as U.S. Court Cuts Human-Rights Suits

Peer Pressure

A U.S. Tie to Surveillance Push in Chinese Cities

Cisco's role in Falun Gong crackdown in dispute [China]

Corporate Accountability Now

Debating human rights in the IT industry [USA]

Should tech companies do business in China?

New evidence links Cisco to jailing and torture of Chinese

Du Daobin v. Cisco - Du Daobin Interrogated by Ministry of Public Security [China]

Tort and technology: Lawyers and legislators put pressure on globe-trotting tech firms [China]

Cisco Sued, Accused of Helping Design China’s Great Firewall

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