Source: ETTelecom

ETTelecom reports that the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal by Cisco Systems involving allegations that the company knowingly developed technology used by the Chinese government to surveil and persecute practitioners of the Falun Gong movement. The case centers on Cisco’s alleged involvement in the "Golden Shield" project, an expansive internet surveillance system designed to locate and detain dissidents. Plaintiffs argue that Cisco customized its software and provided training to Chinese officials with full awareness that the technology would facilitate arbitrary detention and torture.

The Supreme Court’s decision will determine the extent to which American corporations can be held liable under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS) and the Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA) for human rights abuses committed abroad. Cisco, backed by the Trump administration, argues that its sales were legal under U.S. trade policy and that federal law should not allow civil suits against domestic companies for actions involving foreign sovereign states. The ruling, expected by summer 2026, could set a major precedent for the liability of global tech providers in the deployment of surveillance infrastructure.