Beijing's Watching You: Why Australia is removing China-made security cameras from govt buildings

Australia is removing Chinese-made security cameras from government buildings over security concerns. This comes after the United States and Britain made similar moves to stop government departments from using such cameras at sensitive sites. Australian defence minister Richard Marles said officials would find and remove all cameras found within the defence department’s vast collection of offices and facilities. “It’s a significant thing that’s been brought to our attention and we’re going to fix it,” he told national broadcaster ABC. “It’s important that we go through this exercise and make sure that our facilities are completely secure.” Let’s take a closer look at the controversy over these cameras: Why is this happening? This comes as more and more countries are growing concerned about Chinese surveillance. Beijing has exported its surveillance technology to at least 54 countries. Hikvision and Dahua, which are partly owned by China’s Communist Party, control 60 per cent of the world’s CCTV market.

In India alone, Hikvision controls 35 per cent of the CCTV market.

In Australia, a member of the Opposition Liberal Party conducted an ‘audit’ of cameras found equipment made by these companies in departments across government buildings. According to BBC, the audit found the equipment in over 200 buildings in nearly every department including foreign affairs and attorney general. At least one such device was discovered in the defence department. According to India Today, the Agriculture Department and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet did not have such cameras. CNN quoted Senator James Paterson as saying 913 such gadgets including cameras, access control systems and intercoms had been found. Paterson said Hikvision and Dahua, the manufacturers of these cameras, have a ‘very close relationship’ with the Chinese Communist Party. “…they are subject to China’s National Intelligence laws, which require all Chinese companies and individuals to secretly cooperate with Chinese intelligence agencies if requested,” Paterson was quoted as saying by CNN. China under its national security law can compel any organisation or citizen to “support, assist and co-operate with the state intelligence work”, as per BBC. [caption id=“attachment_11908571” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] China’s Xi Jinping. Image courtesy News18[/caption] “There have been vulnerabilities identified with these cameras in the past, where third parties could take full control over them and get the audio and video collected by them,” Paterson added. Australian defence minister Richard Marles said officials would find and remove all cameras found within the defence department’s vast collection of offices and facilities. CNN quoted Marles as saying the defence department was conducting an assessment and that these cameras would be removed wherever found. But Marles also attempted to downplay the issue, saying the seriousness of the problem should “not be overstated”. However, Paterson, also the Shadow Minister for Cyber Security, said the country has ‘no way’ to check if data is being handed over to China, as per BBC.

Paterson also cited ‘moral reasons’ for removing the cameras.

He claimed both companies have been ‘directly implicated’ in alleged human rights abuses and mass surveillance of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, as per BBC. The government-funded national War Memorial, a sprawling 14-hectare complex in Canberra, also confirmed it would remove a small number of Chinese-made cameras out of an “abundance of caution”. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was unconcerned about Beijing’s response. “We act in accordance with Australia’s national interest. We do so transparently, and that’s what we will continue to do,” Albanese said. The announcement comes even as Australia’s centre-left government has been trying to repair its relationship with China since coming to power in May 2022. China slapped hefty tariffs on key Australian exports in 2020 at the height of a bitter dispute with the former conservative government. Australia follows in US, UK footsteps Interestingly, this comes after the US and UK acted against these companies. Washington in November 2022 banned the importation of surveillance equipment made by Hikvision and Dahua as it posed “an unacceptable risk to national security”. That decision came after President Joe Biden signed the Secure Equipment Act of 2021 which placed additional restrictions on companies such as Huawei, ZTE, Hikvision, Dahua, and Hytera. The FCC at the time said these firms would not be allowed to send products to the US unless they can guarantee the equipment “won’t be used for public safety, security of government facilities, and other national security purposes.” [caption id=“attachment_11874511” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] US president Joe Biden in 2021 signed the Secure Equipment Act which placed additional restrictions on companies such as Huawei, ZTE, Hikvision, Dahua, and Hytera.[/caption] “The FCC is committed to protecting our national security by ensuring that untrustworthy communications equipment is not authorized for use within our borders, and we are continuing that work here,” FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement at the time. “These new rules are an important part of our ongoing actions to protect the American people from national security threats involving telecommunications.”

Britain in November also blocked the installation of new cameras made by these companies.

They acted due to fears that Chinese companies could be forced to share intelligence with Beijing’s security services. That decision was made after a review of “current and future possible security risks associated with the installation of visual surveillance systems on the government estate,” Reuters quoted cabinet office minister Oliver Dowden as saying in a written statement to Parliament. “The review has concluded that, in light of the threat to the UK and the increasing capability and connectivity of these systems, additional controls are required,” Dowden said. Dowden’s statement said that following the government review: “Departments have therefore been instructed to cease deployment of such equipment onto sensitive sites, where it is produced by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of the People’s Republic of China.” “Since security considerations are always paramount around these sites, we are taking action now to prevent any security risks materialising.” The SCMP quoted Alicia Kearns, chair of the Foreign Affairs Select committee and chair of the Conservative-backed China Research Group, as saying this was a step in the right direction. “Public bodies and local authorities should not be procuring from surveillance companies, such as Hikvision, that have consistently failed to come clean over their complicity in [Chinese Communist Party] CCP-orchestrated human rights abuses against the Uygur people and other minorities in Xinjiang,” Kearns added. “Any ban should be backed up by a new national procurement framework that provides alternatives to Chinese state-backed tech that could be compelled to transfer vast amounts of UK citizen data into the hands of the CCP.” “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,” a company spokesperson said at the time, as per Reuters. That came after a group of 67 MPs and lords in July called for the government to ban Hikvision and Dahua following reports their equipment had been used to spy on Uyghurs in Xinjiang. That same month, privacy advocacy group Big Brother Watch said a majority of British public bodies use surveillance cameras made by Hikvision or Dahua.

As per SCMP, as of November 2022, an estimated 1.3 million Hikvision cameras were in operation in Britain.

A number of government departments including the interior and business ministries have had Hikvision cameras visibly in use on the front of their buildings, the group had said. It was a Hikvision camera that caught former health secretary Matt Hancock kissing an aide in violation of COVID rules in June 2021, leading to his resignation. SCMP also reported that the Scottish government was phasing out CCTV equipment from Hikvision and other companies from government offices “as part of a multi-year improvement programme”. How has China responded? CNN quoted a foreign ministry spokesperson as saying that Beijing opposes “generalising national security, abuse of state power and acts that discriminate and suppress Chinese companies.”

The foreign ministry also called Australia’s actions ‘misguided’.

“We hope that Australia will provide a fair, just, and non-discriminatory environment for the normal operation of enterprises and do more things that are conducive to mutual trust and cooperation between both sides,” the ministry said, as per India Today. BBC quoted Hikvision as calling Australia’s worries ‘unfounded’, while Dahua is yet to respond to its request for comment. “No respected technical institution or assessment has come to this conclusion,” Hikvision told AFP. “Our products are compliant with all applicable Australian laws and regulations and are subject to strict security requirements.” BBC quoted a spokesperson as saying that the company claims it cannot access data of end users – nor can it transmit it to third parties. Hikvision previously said it was “categorically false” to paint the company as “a threat to national security”. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News, India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.