Hikvision security cameras (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)
Only half the U.K. government sites using Chinese surveillance equipment have had those kits removed, 18 months after the government committed to doing so.
In November 2022, departments were ordered to stop installing Chinese-made surveillance cameras from the likes of Hikvision and Dahua, both partly owned by the Chinese government.
As such, the companies are bound by the National Intelligence Law of the People’s Republic of China, widely seen as requiring them to share data with the Chinese government when required.
At the same time, government departments were also told that any equipment already in place should be disconnected from departmental core networks, and that consideration should be given to removing it entirely.
This week, parliamentary secretary for the Cabinet Office said that work on the removal of these devices is currently ahead of schedule, but that some is likely to remain until this time next year.
“To date, it has been identified that the vast majority of sensitive sites never deployed such equipment,” he said.
However, he added, it could be another year before the surveillance equipment is removed across the board.
“Of the small proportion that did, approximately 50% of sites have now had that equipment replaced. Work is pressing ahead to remove remaining devices, with approximately 70% of sites expected to have their surveillance equipment removed by October this year, and all remaining sites on track for complete replacement no later than April 2025,” he said.
The issue is particularly sensitive given recent government warnings about Chinese espionage. Just last week, for example, two men were charged with breaching the Official Secrets Act by providing information to the Chinese government, and, last year, Chinese spies were found to be targeting British officials in a sophisticated spying operation.
However, even beyond the 50% of government departmental sites that still retain Chinese surveillance equipment, the technology is still widely used. Earlier this year, a government survey revealed that police forces were ‘shot through’ with Chinese camera technology. This included the use of both internal and external camera systems, automatic number plate recognition cameras and drones.
And while government departments are in the process of removing Chinese-made surveillance equipment, local authorities are facing no such ban. Cabinet Office minister Lucy Neville-Rolfe recently explained that while they were free to remove surveillance equipment, they were under no obligation to do so.
Some councils, including Kent County Council, are taking out their cameras; however at least 20 Scottish councils are still using CCTV systems flagged as security risks due to their manufacturers’ links with the Chinese government.
“As more governments from around the world wake up to the risk of having Hikvision and other Chinese-produced cameras and surveillance equipment inside government and public bodies, it’s outrageous that Scottish local authorities are continuing to use products made by CCP-controlled organizations,” said Mark Sabah, director of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation.
The Cabinet Office reiterates that work to remove the offending technology is continuing to happen as planned.
“We take the security of our citizens, systems and establishments extremely seriously, and we have a range of measures in place to scrutinize the integrity of our arrangements,” the prime minister’s official spokesperson tells Forbes.
“To that end, we are taking precautionary steps to prevent potential security risks materializing in light of the increasing capability and connectivity of visual surveillance systems.”
Correction, May 3, 2024: An earlier version of this story said that Harborough District Court is removing the cameras referenced in this article. However, a council spokesman noted that it has not yet determined whether it’s necessary to remove the cameras.
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