67 MPs and Lords have called for an immediate ban on the sale and distribution of Hikvision and Dahua products in the UK.
This comes amidst reports and speculation that links the two Chinese companies to human rights violations in China.
Among the supporters of this ban are various members of every political party, with notable individuals in favour being Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey and four former Conservative ministers.
When asked for comment by the BBC, Hikvision accused anti-CCTV groups of “demonising” the company. They have also stated on previous occasions that they do not oversee or control their devices once they are released to installers. In their latest governance report they maintain that honouring human rights remains a cornerstone of their business practices and stated that they, “continue to see best practices to prevent end user’s improper use of products, which leads to interference with human rights.”
Dahua has in the past stated that they follow, “all applicable local, national and international laws, regulations and conventions,” and that they, “[have] not and never will develop solutions targeting any specific ethnic group”. This came in response to allegations claiming Dahua had developed tools, specifically facial recognition technology, designed to target Uyghur Muslims.
The most recent development that has sparked the call for a UK ban, co-ordinated by Big Brother Watch, comes with the news that Dahua and Hikvision installations are suspected to be the primary CCTV products utilised in Chinese-operated Uyghur Muslim camps.
This is not the first time Big Brother Watch has made the push to ban the purchase of Dahua and Hikvision products, either – the British Department of Health and Social Care reportedly banned the acquisition of new products by the two companies earlier this year but has not enforced the removal of cameras currently in use, Additionally, the US banned distribution of Dahua and Hikvision products in 2019.
The Uyghur Muslim camps, claim to be “re-education facilities” to combat emergent terrorism by the Chinese government, but have been reported by numerous external sources to be centres where torture, slave labour and sexual abuse are conducted by the contingent of Chinese guards on the captive Uyghur population there.
A recent study conducted by Big Brother Watch speculates that Dahua and Hikvision products are currently used by a vast majority of public bodies across the UK. It’s suspected that 73% of UK councils, 57% of secondary schools and 60% of NHS trusts use their products, as well as numerous universities and police facilities across the country. Government departments like the Home Office and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy also utilise these cameras on the premises of their buildings.
It was also recently announced that the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) has removed an award nomination for Hikvision at its upcoming event after a Member of Parliament brought it to their attention. Any associated publicity regarding the nomination has also been removed.
For more news updates, check out our Q2 issue here.
Media contact
Rebecca Morpeth Spayne,
Editor, Security Portfolio
Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922
