This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-asia-pacific-13516027

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Cisco Systems rejects Falun Gong 'Beijing spy' lawsuit Cisco rejects Falun Gong 'China online spying' lawsuit
(about 1 hour later)
Cisco Systems has rejected a lawsuit filed by spiritual group Falun Gong and denied it has colluded with Beijing to repress Chinese citizens. US computer networking giant Cisco Systems has rejected allegations it helped the Chinese government repress the Falun Gong movement.
Falun Gong filed papers last week claiming that Cisco worked on the Golden Shield surveillance network to help Beijing spy on and prosecute it. The spiritual movement is suing Cisco over claims it worked on the "Golden Shield" online censorship network, to help Beijing spy on its citizens.
The spiritual group says some members had disappeared or been detained, tortured and even killed as a result. The law suit says some Falun Gong members had been detained, tortured and even killed as a result of the network.
Falun Gong is banned in China, where the government calls it an evil cult.Falun Gong is banned in China, where the government calls it an evil cult.
"Cisco's specific intent to meet the requirements of the Chinese Communist Party's purpose to identify, track and thereby abuse and eliminate Falun Gong practitioners... was expressed in marketing presentations," said the court papers filed in the US. The court papers, filed in the US on Monday, allege that Cisco provided networking equipment and technical assistance to Beijing to enable it to create an online "censorship and surveillance network".
The suit said that Cisco established a subsidiary, China Network Technology Corporation, in Beijing in 1998 to work with the government. It accuses Cisco of aggressively marketing the product, knowing it would be used to crack down on the banned movement.
It alleges that Cisco provided networking equipment and technical assistance to build and operate a system of Internet controls used by the Chinese government to track the public's online behaviour and block content it did not like. "Cisco's specific intent to meet the requirements of the Chinese Communist Party's purpose to identify, track and thereby abuse and eliminate Falun Gong practitioners... was expressed in marketing presentations," say the papers.
It also names senior Cisco executives, including chief executive John Chambers. It alleges Cisco established a subsidiary, China Network Technology Corporation, in Beijing in 1998 to work with the government.
Cisco rejected the allegations in a statement issued from its headquarters in San Jose, California. The 52-page suit, brought by the Washington-based Human Rights Law Foundation, names senior Cisco executives, including chief executive John Chambers.
But in a statement issued from its headquarters in San Jose, California, Cisco vowed to "vigorously defend" its operations.
"Cisco does not operate networks in China or elsewhere, nor does Cisco customise our products in any way that would facilitate censorship or repression," the company said."Cisco does not operate networks in China or elsewhere, nor does Cisco customise our products in any way that would facilitate censorship or repression," the company said.
"Cisco builds equipment to global standards which facilitate free exchange of information, and we sell the same equipment in China that we sell in other nations worldwide in strict compliance with US government regulations.""Cisco builds equipment to global standards which facilitate free exchange of information, and we sell the same equipment in China that we sell in other nations worldwide in strict compliance with US government regulations."
Cisco said the suit was without basis and that the company would defend itself vigorously. China's government has invested heavily in controlling what its citizens can access on the internet.
The 52-page suit was brought by the Washington-based Human Rights Law Foundation. The Golden Shield, also known as the Great Firewall, blocks thousands of websites, including those linked to Falun Gong or the Tibetan spirital leader, the Dalai Lama.
It also filters keyword searches for sensitive topics such as Tibet or Liu Xiaobo, the Nobel prize-winning dissident.