The British government told its departments on Thursday to stop installing Chinese-made security cameras inside sensitive buildings due to potential security risks.
Risks posed
The move comes after an internal review of current and future security risks posed by surveillance systems.
“In light of the threat to the UK and the increasing capability and connectivity of these systems, additional controls are required,” cabinet office minister Oliver Dowden said in a written statement to parliament.
He said ministries should consider replacing these cameras now rather than waiting to upgrade them.
Which companies are targeted?
Two companies are under the radar.
Privacy advocacy group Big Brother Watch said In July that most of the surveillance cameras used by the British government were made by two Chinese companies: Hikvision and Dahua.
67 British lawmakers then sought an outright ban on devices made by the two partially state-owned companies, citing privacy concerns and links to human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
Company denies selling UK cloud storage
Dowden said companies subject to China’s National Intelligence Law could be forced to hand over information to Beijing’s security services.
Hikvision denied these allegations, and said, “”Hikvision cannot transmit data from end-users to third parties, we do not manage end-user databases, nor do we sell cloud storage in the UK.”
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