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Article

11 Jan 2016

Author:
Sophia Cope, Electronic Frontier Foundation

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

This is the second Alien Tort Statute (“ATS”) case in which plaintiffs allege that the technology giant Cisco specially built surveillance, censorship, and other repressive products for the Chinese government that targeted disfavored groups — here, a religious minority called the Falun Gong, and in the other, prominent democracy activists — who were then subjected to torture and other recognized human rights abuses…In the digital age, repressive governments do not act alone to violate human rights. They have accomplices — including American technology companies like Cisco, as alleged by Plaintiffs — with the sophistication and technical know-how that those repressive governments lack. If aiding and abetting liability under the Alien Tort Statute is to mean anything, it must apply to cases like this…

Part of the following timelines

NGO asks US appeals court to revive case against Cisco over alleged complicity in Chinese Govt. abuse

Cisco Systems lawsuits (re China)