Unplugging users phones? CNN? For example, Washingtons growing use of its Entity List to target Chinese firms led Beijing to create its own Unreliable Entity List in 2020, yet no public designations have been made under this new authority. Sampson also raises concerns about potential security implications of the use of surveillance equipment with dormant functions, such as voice recording and facial recognition, which can be switched on remotely. More realistically, they can limit American moral complicity. maybe. The world's leading video surveillance information source, IPVM provides the best reporting, testing and training for 15,000+ subscribers globally. polling(238,"hide hide_when_voted hide_show_results"), The Register - Independent news and views for the tech community. Washington, DC 20036-2103. If enacted, these sanctions are a seismic development, Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch told the Financial Times. Hikvision reportedly supplied the Chinese government with surveillance cameras that facilitate the repression of one million Uyghurs who have been detained in camps in the north-western region of Xinjiang. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Sign up to the E&T News e-mail to get great stories like this delivered to your inbox every day. You will be redirected once the validation is complete. These companies claim to have successfully adapted, perhaps due to Moscows support and their limited or manageable exposure to the U.S.-aligned world. "It is unclear from your letter to surveillance partners whether you accept that crimes are being committed against the Uyghurs and other ethnic groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and I would be grateful if you could clarify this," said the commissioner, who also asked whether Hikvision accepted its equipment was used by the Chinese State in its Xinjiang camps. Whether you live in India or overseas, you can take a paid subscription by clicking here. They find every other way around it without actually saying it. U.S.-China Technological Decoupling: A Strategy and Policy Framework, Germanys Energy Crisis Is Bigger Than Gazprom, Traitors in the Ranks: Zelensky Purges Ukraines Security Services, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, Technology and International Affairs Program. If you believe that hakvision did not know they were involved in human rights abuses then I have a couple of bridges I can sell you, they are going cheap. London [UK], April 26 (ANI): The monitor overseeing the British governments use of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras has asked the UK government to clarify its positions on buying surveillance cameras from controversial tech company Hikvision implicated for its involvement with the Chinese states human rights abuses in Xinjiang. When Hikvision was caught marketing a Uyghur detecting camera', Hikvision told the BBC that the "details on its [own] website were incorrect" and had been "uploaded online without appropriate review". ", The spokesman also pointed to a submission it made to Parliament's Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Committee in October 2020 which said its product manuals "include human rights protection-related language in order to provide an alert to end users." It refers to a "co-operation system" the contractual life cycle of which is 21 years, of which the construction period is 1 year Hikvision, a partially Chinese state-owned company, is a lesser-known name than Huawei and ZTE; it was included in a round of proposed US sanctions on Chinese tech companies back in June. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Likewise, Hikvision wants the public to believe that it simply did not know what was happening with its extensive direct installation and operation of these Xinjiang human rights abusing projects. How about sleepy Joe or camellllla? There are serious unanswered questions about Hikvisions involvement in appalling human rights abuses in China. There's substantial evidence but Hikvision continues to refuse to publicly address it. Eye-catchingly, Hikvision's denials came in a series of letters published by Surveillance Camera Commissioner Professor Fraser Sampson on the GOV.UK website. In his role as Surveillance Camera Commissioner, Professor Sampson oversees some business practices of surveillance tech companies operating in the UK. Professor Sampson has raised the matter in a formal letter sent to the Michael Ellis QC MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, and to Michael Gove MP, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, who is the minister responsible for local government. John, have you actually, publicly, called them "liars" on your blog yet? In a statement a company spokesman, who asked not to be named, told The Register: "Hikvision takes all reports regarding human rights very seriously and recognizes our responsibility for protecting people and property. No stopping the cloud computing division but losses mount on retail side as consumers catch a cold, Amazing how you find the money when military needs a reliable supply, Amazon Web Services (AWS) Business Transformation, China passes half a billion 5G subscriptions and adds at least 190k new 5G base stations in six months, We'll drop SBOMs on UK.gov to solve Telecoms Security Bill's technical demands, beams Cisco, US 'dropped the ball' on security by going it alone claims Huawei US CSO, FCC pushes forward on rules to block the certification of new telecoms gear from ZTE and Huawei. Copyright 2022 Printline Media Pvt. The firm is already on several lists that prevent Hikvision from importing U.S.-origin goods without a license; receiving American investment; or selling products to U.S. telecoms, federal agencies, or federal contractors. Please enable cookies on your browser and try again. The closest parallel may be recent designations of Russian companies such as Sberbank and Alfa Bank. Part of Situation Publishing, Biting the hand that feeds IT 19982022. Hikvision was able to gain goodwill in 2019 and 2020 because it marketed that it was doing this investigation and somehow taking this seriously. If other areas of national and local government have carried out due diligence in relation to their human rights obligations, Id be interested to see the information they used; if they havent then Id be interested to understand how the risks are being properly addressed, he added. Yet Washington must recognize the limits of its power and the risks of overreach. The possible decision would also build upon US national security officials concerns that China could use Hikvisions cameras around the world to engage in spying activities. It would also find that many parties choose to over-comply with sanctionsdoing more than U.S. law requires to avoid any scintilla of risk. This conveys the impression that Hikvision simply manufacture and supply cameras, however, there is documentary evidence that suggests otherwise. The service requires full JavaScript support in order to view this website. But we all lie; not some of us, not most of us. And Hikvision would suffer incalculable reputational damage. It went on to quote Dr Samantha Hoffman of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and Dr Radomir Tylecote of Civitas, whom they said "shared their concern that facial recognition cameras made by companies such as Hikvision operating in the UK are collecting facial recognition data, which can then be used by the Chinese government.". The UK's Surveillance Camera Commissioner wrote a letter to Hikvision Who is more unethical? This persecution is known to rely heavily on surveillance technology including facial recognition software designed to detect racial characteristics. Key concerns in Washington and elsewhere include Hikvisions poor cybersecurity and data security record; status as Chinese stateowned enterprise, subsidy recipient, and so-called national champion; work with the Peoples Liberation Army; participation in Chinese mass surveillance; and sales to repressive regimes. Sanctioning Hikvision in these ways would break new ground. The Biden administration is considering placing human rights-related sanctions on the Chinese company and has begun briefing its allies, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing four people familiar with the matter. To what end? 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW The BBC even filmed a Hikvision camera at yet another re-education camp: Such excuses are commonplace for Hikvision. Uncorking the SDN List for Xinjiang abuses would also embolden those who have already called for even broader designations of Chinese firms involved in ordinary mass surveillance and cyber espionage. In the past, Beijing has been somewhat cautious in response to U.S. technology restrictionstaking superficially reciprocal actions that may not pack quite the same punch. The Institution of Engineering and Technology is registered as a Charity in England & Wales (no 211014) and Scotland (no SC038698). Washington has been right to impose a number of Xinjiang-related restrictions, including its targeted actions against Chinese tech companies and a new presumptive ban on all Xinjiang-derived imports. Adding Hikvision to the SDN list would be a strong manoeuvre against Beijings digital authoritarian agenda and an escalatory signal that the US government is now willing to employ sanctions against Chinese companies, said Eric Sayers, senior vice-president at Beacon Global Strategies. Get updates delivered to your email, once a day, Monday to Friday. India needs fair, non-hyphenated and questioning journalism, packed with on-ground reporting. Please enable JavaScript on your browser and try again. ThePrint with exceptional reporters, columnists and editors is doing just that. Trump? Rather, Hikvision was directly contracted to build and operate them for periods ranging from 11 to 21 years, per Hikvision's own financial disclosures: Projects Included Mosque, Re-Education Camp Surveillance. IPVM is the #1 authority in video surveillance news, in-depth product tests, and independent training courses. Hikvision is a large, publicly traded Chinese video surveillance equipment maker. Dahua, iFLYTEK, SenseTime, Megvii, and DJIleading Chinese sellers of digital cameras, artificial intelligence software, and droneshave all been cited for supporting Xinjiang repression, and each already faces some of the same restrictive measures currently placed on Hikvision. If the decision to sanction were taken, it would amount to the first time the US has imposed such sanctions on a big Chinese technology group. These concerns have recently led the United States and other governments to place multiple restrictions on Hikvision. Should we let hikvision slide? We asked Hikvision repeatedly about this Arent Fox report. Given this deep and willful enmeshment in what has rightly been called a genocide, Hikvision arguably has the worst human rights record of any globally recognizable Chinese tech company. "Cameras made by the Chinese firm Hikvision have been deployed throughout Xinjiang, and provide the primary camera technology used in the internment camps," claimed the Foreign Affairs Committee in a July report. An SDN designation would vault Hikvision past Huawei to become the most-sanctioned Chinese tech company. Its top five international markets are Vietnam, the US, Mexico, the UK and Brazil. As a market leader, Hikvision is committed to upholding the highest standards and respect for human rights. Hikvision also cited an internal report [PDF] written by an ex-US diplomat that concluded Hikvision did not "knowingly or intentionally" abuse human rights when working on "five projects in Xinjiang.". Ad hoc, unilateral U.S. sanctions on Hikvision would accomplish little while risking great harm to American interests. The United States risks setting in motion a broader, faster, and messier decoupling than it wants or can afford. Image credit: Foto 21088980 Alphaspirit | Dreamstime.com. At the same time, the U.S. precedent set by a Hikvision designation would create domestic political pressure for future SDN listings. 2022 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The United States can and should do even more to curb the flow of its technologies into Xinjiang. You are leaving the website for the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy and entering a website for another of Carnegie's global centers. The move comes after media reports quoted an unnamed Whitehall source saying that Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, had banned Hikvision for competing for new business in the Department of Health after a procurement review revealed ethical concerns about the company. IPVM is the #1 authority in video surveillance news, in-depth tests, and training courses. But Hikvisions provocative placement on the SDN List would likely force Chinese leaders to show strength to their own citizens and to the world. Norway Government Concludes Abuses "Ongoing". But for company, image matters. Chinas ongoing economic malaise, and self-inflicted wounds in its own tech industry, could weigh on the side of restraint. If so, where, I want to see it? We repeatedly reached out to both organizations requesting comments and for the report to be publicly released. As a manufacturer that does not oversee the operation of our products, we do ensure our cameras are designed to protect communities and property. TC179H2TH) shared with our office refers to the award of a contract for the PiShan County Social Prevention and Control System. Any further SDN listings would effectively declare economic war on growing portions of the Chinese tech sectorwith serious and unpredictable consequences for bilateral relations, global stability, and the U.S. economy. The World Unpacked is a biweekly foreign policy podcast that breaks down the hottest global issues of today with experts, journalists, and policymakers who can explain what is happening, why it matters, and where we go from here. So when a letter circulated by Hikvision to its UK associates stated the Parliamentary report's findings were "unsubstantiated" and "sends an unacceptable message" [PDF], Prof Sampson wrote this to the manufacturer's UK arm. (ANI). Chateau Lafite? The possible decision would also build upon US national security officials concerns that China could use Hikvisions cameras around the world to engage in, It is yet unclear whether other governments will follow the US lead, as was the case when the UK. What to do, what to do when every culture falls back to dirtbag daily telling of lies? Professor Sampson, the independent Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner has repeatedly challenged Hikvision to come clean about the extent of its involvement with the Chinese states human rights abuses in Xinjiang. While Beijing denies it has done wrong, labelling the Uyghur minority as terrorists and separatists, satellite image evidence shows the camps and testimony from survivors suggests the abuses are ongoing. Hikvisions online presence could be eliminated in much of the world if internet hosts and social media platforms take down its accounts. Hikvisions fate would also depend on how China, and other countries and companies, choose to respond. ADT, are you telling lies? Despite years of restrictive measures against the Chinese tech sector, Washington has used the SDN List very sparingly. Check your email for details on your request. Yet defiance would come with its own unknown legal, diplomatic, and economic consequences. The U.S. government has rolled out numerous restrictions targeting Chinas tech sector for several years now, making this story easy to overlook. Watch the video to learn more about Hikvision human rights abuses and the claim that they did not know or intend to do so: Hikvision's excuse does not match reality, fitting into a larger pattern of misdirection and obfuscation. The Register wholeheartedly endorses the idea of marsupial-based media scrutiny. If Hikvision goes on the SDN List, members of Congress and U.S. commentators would quickly call for designating these other firms, too. A company that makes ongoing false claims and sexually One of Hikvision's most vocal OEM partners, who in the past bragged about Watch the video to learn more about Hikvision human rights abuses, Security Protection And Prevention Control System, Hikvision USA Exhibiting At GSX 2022, ASIS Silent, Hikvision Dominant Provider of Xinjiang Command Centers, 'Hikvision Cameras In My Concentration Camp Cell,' Says Victim, "Not Welcome in the UK": Hikvision Protested At London Roadshow, Hikvision Objects To Xinjiang Answers, Claims "Commercially Sensitive Information", UK Commissioner Will Cancel Speech Unless Hikvision Answers On Xinjiang UPDATE: Cancels, UK Camera Commissioner: Buying Dahua and Hikvision Puts 'Money Over Values', "They Could Watch Everything We Did": Video Surveillance Against Uyghurs Inside And Outside The Camps, Hikvision CSO Asks "How Can China Watch??? Hikvision's Xinjiang branch also put out a video of an employee boasting that human rights sanctions boosted orders.
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