Timeline
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USA: Court of Appeals confirms Cisco Systems can face liability for providing surveillance technology used to facilitate human rights abuses
"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."
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USA: Appeals court decision in Cisco Systems Inc. case establishes narrow precedent for bringing human rights claims against U.S. corporations
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.
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USA: Appeals Court rules that Lawsuit accusing Cisco of enabling chinese regime's persecution of Falun Gong can move forward
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.
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Plaintiffs in Cisco lawsuit ask Court to revive US case over alleged surveillance of Falun Gong members in China
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EFF says Cisco shouldn't get off the hook for torture in China
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EFF To Court: Cisco Must Be Held Accountable For Aiding China’s Human Rights Abuses
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Doe, et al. v. Cisco Systems: Brief of amici curiae Electronic Frontier Foundation, Article 19 and Privacy International in support of Plaintiffs-Appellants & reversal
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Blog series on lawsuit in USA against Cisco over alleged complicity in provision of surveillance system targeting Chinese dissidents
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Access to justice for victims of human rights abuses needs to be strengthened
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Standard behind US Court dismissal of Alien Tort case against Occidental & AirScan “sufficiently vague for corporations to hide behind”, says journalist
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Cisco Won't Face Claim it Abetted Torture in China
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Cisco is mute on accusations of aiding Chinese state snooping
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Cisco cleared in rights case, as tech sector watches [USA/China]
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[PDF] Out of Bounds - Accountability for Corporate Human Rights Abuse After Kiobel
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The Supreme Court: Corporate America's Employees of the Month
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Companies Shielded as U.S. Court Cuts Human-Rights Suits
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Peer Pressure
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A U.S. Tie to Surveillance Push in Chinese Cities
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Cisco's role in Falun Gong crackdown in dispute [China]
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Corporate Accountability Now
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Debating human rights in the IT industry [USA]
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Should tech companies do business in China?
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New evidence links Cisco to jailing and torture of Chinese
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Du Daobin v. Cisco - Du Daobin Interrogated by Ministry of Public Security [China]
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Tort and technology: Lawyers and legislators put pressure on globe-trotting tech firms [China]
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Cisco Sued, Accused of Helping Design China’s Great Firewall
View full case