Australia to remove Chinese surveillance cameras amid security fears. Due to concerns about national security, Australia will remove surveillance cameras made in China from defence sites.
It comes after an audit found 900 pieces of surveillance equipment built by companies Hikvision and Dahua on government estates.
Similar actions were taken by the UK and the US last year because of concerns that the Chinese government would access the device data.
These worries are unwarranted, according to Hikvision.
In every department, including the departments of foreign affairs and attorney general, cameras and surveillance equipment were found to be installed on more than 200 buildings.
The number of units discovered in the department of defence is unknown, however, at least one unit was discovered there.
Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles on Thursday said the government would find and remove the cameras from any defence locations to make them “completely secure”.
“I don’t think we should overstate [the seriousness]… but it’s a significant thing that’s been brought to our attention and we’re going to fix it,” he said, adding the devices pre-dated his time in office.
Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said the government would review whether the cameras on other government buildings need to be removed as well.
Shadow Minister for Cyber Security James Paterson, who requested the audit, says they do. “Australia has ‘no way’ of knowing whether data collected by the devices is being handed over to Chinese intelligence agencies”, he said.
Any organization or individual in China may be required to “support, assist, and cooperate with the state intelligence work” under the terms of the country’s national security law.
Additionally, Senator Paterson suggested that for “moral” reasons, Australia shouldn’t be backing Hikvision and Dahua. He said that both companies were actively involved in the alleged violations of Uyghurs’ human rights and widespread surveillance of them in Xinjiang.
It is “categorically false,” according to Hikvision, to portray them as a danger to national security.
“No respected technical institution or assessment has come to this conclusion,” a spokeswoman said.
The company says it cannot access end users’ video data and therefore cannot transmit it to third parties, she said.
Australia to remove Chinese surveillance cameras amid security fears. However, due to security concerns, the UK also prohibited the installation of any new security cameras made by Dahua and Hikvision on “sensitive installations” in November. Additionally, it stated that it would examine if existing devices needed to be removed.
Following a few days, the US prohibited the sale and import of brand-new communications equipment from five Chinese businesses, including Dahua and Hikvision.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was unconcerned about how the Chinese government might react to the move. “We act in accordance with Australia’s national interest. We do so transparently and that’s what we will continue to do,” he told reporters.
After Canberra banned Huawei from using its 5G network in 2018, relations between the two countries deteriorated. China retaliated by imposing tariffs on Australian products including coal and lobsters.
However, after the centre-left government took office in May 2022, relations have improved.
