Cisco does not in any way participate in the censorship of information by governments. Moreover, Cisco complies with all U.S. government regulations that prohibit the sale of our products to certain destinations or to users who misuse our products or resell them to prohibited users.
Some countries have chosen, as a matter of national policy, to restrict or limit access to information on the Internet to their citizens. Functionality inherent in Cisco equipment, such as our routers, may be employed by such nations to restrict this access, but it is important to note that this is the same functionality that libraries and corporate network administrators use to block sites in accordance with policies they establish. This functionality can be used for many different purposes, and Cisco has not specially designed or marketed products for any government, or any regional market, to censor Internet content from citizens.
Cisco cannot determine what information is regulated by sovereign nations inside their own countries. Even within nations that have signed the United Nations Global Compact, there is rich debate in the courts and society concerning access to the Internet, lines between commercial speech and political speech, and related issues. Cisco supports transparency in the way people use the Internet and complies with all applicable regulations.
Cisco's Position: Respect and Dignity
Cisco's governance of business ethics, including human rights, applies to our employees, suppliers, and partners.
Cisco strives to treat employees, and the communities in which we operate, with respect and dignity. As a supporter of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights
and Global Compact, Cisco's codes of conduct, employee policies, and guidelines substantially incorporate laws and ethical principles including those pertaining to freedom of association, nondiscrimination, privacy, collective bargaining, compulsory and child labor, immigration, and wages and hours. Cisco's Corporate Citizenship Council reviews these codes, policies, and guidelines.
Consistent with Cisco's culture and applicable laws, employees are encouraged to:
- Promote a safe, healthy, and supportive work environment where employees can contribute their skills
- Participate with local stakeholders in addressing community well-being, social and economic development, and environmental preservation
In addition, we require all Cisco employees to respect the human rights and dignity of others as outlined in the Code of Business Conduct, employee policies, and guidelines or local laws. We expect them to abide with these policies within the scope of their individual roles and responsibilities, applying whichever sets higher standards.
For suppliers, we have a supplier code of conduct that covers a range of social responsibility issues, including labor and employment practices, health and safety, ethics, the protection of the environment, and management expectations. The Electronic Industry Code of Conduct (EICC) forms the basis of Cisco's Supplier Code of Conduct.
For partners, we have online and instructor-led training on a variety of business integrity topics, as well as on individual reseller or partner agreements.
Cisco has partnered with other companies in the electronics sector to address issues related to responsible corporate citizenship, and to promote social and environmental standards across the industry. We report on our progress toward the United Nations Global Compact principles in the Citizenship Governance section of this Citizenship Report.
