Dan Ward, attorney to pro-democracy activist and blogger Du Daobin, issued a statement yesterday that noted the efficacy of EFF's campaign to spread awareness about Cisco’s responsibilities to stand up for human rights:

As I have previously stated, recent events lead us to believe that the safety of our clients in Du v. Cisco is dependent, in no small part, on the fact that the world is watching.

We were heartened to know that the actions of EFF supporters are safeguarding the lives and safety of activists in China. If you haven’t done so already, please sign our petition calling on Cisco to stand up for human rights and intervene on behalf of Du Daobin. By sending Cisco these emails, we can help keep Du Daobin and the other plaintiffs in the case safe — so they can argue their precedent-setting legal case against Cisco Systems.

We’re also glad to see that news outlets are beginning to report on the issue and educate their readers about the upcoming lawsuit and the dangers facing the plaintiffs involved. The Sydney Morning Herald published a lengthy article about the case against Cisco yesterday:

Cisco has publicly stated that it helped the CCP build its Golden Shield and Policenet systems. In the legal complaint, seen by Fairfax Media, Cisco is accused of training Chinese engineers in how to use its technology to carry out surveillance of online activity and suppress dissident activity. "With the assistance of Cisco, the CCP is now capable of detecting, identifying and tracking perceived threats to the CCP's power, and blocking 'harmful' websites," the complaint reads.

EFF will continue to follow developments around Du Daobin and his co-plaintiffs, and we'll be exploring the issue of corporate social responsibility in future blog posts. Please do your part to help keep these activists safe by signing our petition and sharing the petition with others.