Company Directory - Cisco Systems Inc
Company Details - Cisco Systems Inc

Cisco Systems Inc
An American multinational technology conglomerate known for networking hardware, telecommunications equipment, and high-technology services and products.
CCI Score
CCI Score: Cisco Systems Inc
-13.51
Latest Event
Cisco Systems Political Contributions Tracker
Analysis of Cisco Systems' political contributions as reported by American Democracy Scorecard, indicating that their spending aligns with pro-democracy values.
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Latest Events
- JAN012025
Analysis of Cisco Systems' political contributions as reported by American Democracy Scorecard, indicating that their spending aligns with pro-democracy values.
+60
Political Contributions and Lobbying Efforts
March 18
The American Democracy Scorecard highlights Cisco Systems' political contributions and presents them in a light that aligns with pro-democracy values. This transparency and commitment to supporting democratic institutions earns a positive score in the Public and Political Behavior category, specifically in the area of Political Contributions and Lobbying Efforts.
- SEP192024
A Ninth Circuit decision upheld allegations that Cisco custom-built surveillance tools were used by the Chinese government to target disfavored groups such as Falun Gong, contributing to severe human rights abuses. This ruling underscores Cisco's complicity in providing technology that enables authoritarian repression.
-80
Provision of Repressive Technologies
March 18
Cisco's alleged provision of specialized surveillance and tracking technology, reportedly used to facilitate the repression of minority groups, directly contributes to authoritarian practices. The technology, custom-built to aid in state surveillance, has been linked to wrongful arrests, detention, and potentially more severe human rights abuses. This event highlights the risks and ethical lapses associated with supplying repressive tools.
Las demandas de derechos humanos contra Cisco pueden avanzar (otra vez)
- SEP182024
Cisco Systems is facing potential liability for allegedly customizing and providing surveillance technology that was used by the Chinese government to track and persecute Falun Gong practitioners, raising serious human rights concerns.
-85
Provision of Repressive Technologies
March 18
The U.S. Appeals Court decision reviving the lawsuit against Cisco signals that their advanced surveillance technology, allegedly used to facilitate severe human rights abuses in China, contributes to repressive state practices. Providing tools that enable wrongful arrests, detention, and potential torture marks a significant ethical and political failing, thereby elevating the company’s complicity in authoritarian practices.
- APR032024
Cisco Systems Inc's CEO, Chuck Robbins, has assumed the role of chair of the Business Roundtable, a move that signifies deepening corporate political engagement. Such positions may amplify corporate influence over public policy, contributing to dynamics that favor elite interests and potentially undermine democratic processes.
-40
Executive Political Engagement
March 18
The appointment of Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins as chair of the Business Roundtable reflects significant executive political engagement. This move may serve to reinforce corporate influence in political circles, aligning company leadership with elite agendas at the expense of broader democratic accountability. Such corporate maneuvers can be interpreted as indirectly supporting authoritarian practices by prioritizing profit and influence over public interest.
Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins talks politics as the new chair of the Business Roundtable
- OCT012023
Cisco's Government Affairs page outlines strict guidelines and clear practices regarding its political contributions. The company explicitly states that it does not contribute to partisan candidates or engage in electioneering communications, ensuring transparency and oversight. This practice minimizes potential complicity with authoritarian influences by aligning contributions strictly with operational needs rather than political favoritism.
+80
Political Contributions and Lobbying Efforts
March 18
Cisco demonstrates a high standard in its political contributions and lobbying efforts by maintaining strict guidelines, ensuring contributions are non-partisan and transparently disclosed. This practice minimizes the risk of supporting authoritarian policies and reflects a commitment to democratic values.
- AUG222011
An investigation into allegations that Cisco Systems sold and customized surveillance equipment for the Chinese government, which has been used in human rights abuses related to censorship, forced labor, and political repression.
-70
Business Practices and Ethical Responsibility
March 18
Cisco Systems has been implicated in selling surveillance and censorship technology that directly facilitates human rights abuses in China. Their involvement in providing equipment that was customized for tracking and repressing dissidents raises serious ethical concerns regarding their business practices and responsibility towards human rights.
-85
Technology and Services Impact
March 18
The allegations indicate that Cisco not only sold its technology to China but also tailored its products to meet the specific needs of state-sponsored surveillance systems, directly contributing to repressing free speech and facilitating state abuses. This use of repressive technology is clearly a negative mark on the company's ethical and social responsibility record.
- JUL062011
An investigation revealed that Cisco Systems Inc has been supplying networking equipment to the Chinese government, which is used to carry out widespread surveillance and censorship. Internal memos indicate that the company was aware of the repressive applications of its equipment, contributing to the authoritarian control of information and dissent.
-80
Provision of Repressive Technologies
March 18
Cisco’s sale of networking equipment to the Chinese government directly enables the use of repressive surveillance and censorship technologies. Internal documents and reports show that Cisco was aware that its equipment could facilitate state repression, highlighting a clear complicity in enabling authoritarian practices.
New Evidence that Cisco Enables Surveillance and Control of China’s Citizens
-70
Economic Collaboration
March 18
By continuing to engage in business with an authoritarian regime, Cisco contributes to economic collaboration that indirectly supports state repression. This activity bolsters the financial foundation of an oppressive government, thereby enabling further violations of human rights.
New Evidence that Cisco Enables Surveillance and Control of China’s Citizens
- MAY202008
In 2008, Cisco testified before a Senate subcommittee denying allegations it aided Chinese censorship. However, internal documents from 2002 suggest that a lower-level engineer had prepared a presentation indicating a willingness to support China's efforts to combat dissent, raising concerns over the potential use of Cisco’s technology for repressive purposes.
-10
Public and Political Behavior
March 18
Cisco appeared before a Senate subcommittee to address allegations of aiding censorship by denying any customization of its products for repressive purposes. However, the fact that such allegations arose along with internal documentation casts a lingering doubt on the company’s political transparency and accountability in its interactions with repressive regimes.
-40
Provision of Repressive Technologies
March 18
An internal 2002 presentation, later brought to light during the Senate hearing, implied that Cisco might have been open to supporting Chinese government censorship efforts. Although the company has denied these allegations and stated that no specialized technology was designed for such purposes, the existence of these documents suggests potential complicity in the provision of technologies that could enable repressive practices.
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Industries
- 334112
- Computer Storage Device Manufacturing
- 334210
- Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing
- 541512
- Computer Systems Design Services
- 511210
- Software Publishers
- 517911
- Wired Telecommunications Carriers