San Jose, Calif —February 7, 2019 – Cisco today issued a call to governments and citizens around the world to establish privacy as a fundamental human right in the digital economy. Today, connectivity and technology have become the foundation for peoples’ economic, social, and cultural opportunities. With IoT, 5G, and AI promising to soon reshape how we interact with technology, Cisco is urging governments to adopt comprehensive and interoperable data protection laws to secure that right.

To start, Cisco is calling on the U.S. government to develop a US federal privacy law that assures customers their data is protected. The American system should not just look to solve for today’s privacy discussions around monetization of customer data; it should aim to solve for the complex privacy needs of a world where tens of billions of devices are connected to the internet. 

Cisco urges three basic principles for U.S. legislation: 

• Ensure interoperability between different privacy protection regimes;
• Avoid fracturing of legal obligations for data privacy through a uniform federal law that aligns with the emerging global consensus;
• Reassure customers that enforcement of privacy rights will be robust without costly and unnecessary litigation.

Globally, Cisco will advocate for several common elements in privacy legislation, some of which include: 

• Security: Assign responsibility to protect the confidentiality, integrity, availability, and resiliency of data;
• Transparency: Explain how data is collected, used, transferred, and disclosed;
• Accountability: Ensure governance for data under the entity’s stewardship, including a data protection team, applying a risk-based approach;
• Innovation: Recognize multi-stakeholder-driven initiatives that enhance transparency and provide paths for implementation.

“Cisco calls for comprehensive and interoperable privacy legislation around the world that allows ethical movement of data between countries. Laws should be anchored to the core principles of security, transparency, fairness, and accountability, because privacy is a fundamental human right,” said Chuck Robbins, Chairman & CEO, Cisco.

“As we enter an era powered by IoT, 5G, and AI, it is critical for our customers, partners, governments, and the public to know Cisco’s commitment to privacy is stronger than ever,” said Mark Chandler, EVP and Chief Legal Officer, Cisco. “Our belief that privacy is a fundamental human right has helped make Cisco the most trusted supplier of technology products and solutions, embedding privacy at the core of each Cisco technology that powers the internet.”

Additional Resources

• Learn more: Cisco Calls for US Federal Privacy Legislation—Leveling the Privacy Playing Field

• Learn more: Data Protection and Privacy on Cisco’s Trust Center

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