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Chinese surveillance cameras: data for the dictatorship?
Photo: William West / AFP
After the US military shot down a suspected spy balloon from China after days of flight, an investigation into Chinese surveillance technology became public in Australia, which could cause concern for the country.
According to the Australian Ministry of Defense, an inspection of more than 900 surveillance cameras and devices from Chinese manufacturers was found in more than 250 government buildings.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice were also among them.
Defense Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said Thursday the government would locate and remove cameras at all defense sites to make them "completely secure."
Camera removal as a precaution
Shadow Minister for Cybersecurity James Paterson, who requested the scrutiny, according to Britain's BBC, said Australia had "no way" to know if data collected by the devices was being shared with Chinese intelligence agencies.
China's national security law can be used to force any organization or citizen to "support, encourage and cooperate with" state intelligence work.
Britain and the United States also took similar steps last year after concerns over the security of Chinese surveillance cameras were raised.
Technology came partly from a controversial group
The technology used in Australia came from the Chinese surveillance groups Hikvision and Dahua.
The Chinese state has a stake in both companies.
Hikvision had advertised its surveillance cameras in 2019 arguing they could also detect minorities like the Uyghurs persecuted in China.
Hikvision only deleted the corresponding product page after a specialist medium reported on it.
According to Paterson, Australia should not support the companies Hikvision and Dahua for "moral" reasons.
He said both companies are directly implicated in the human rights abuses and mass surveillance of Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
Hikvision argued to the BBC that it was "categorically wrong" to portray the company as a threat to national security.
Dahua left a corresponding request from the British broadcaster unanswered.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Thursday he was not concerned about how the Chinese government might respond to the move.
“We are acting in accordance with Australia's national interest.
We do this in all transparency and will continue to do so«.
Relations between China and Australia had recently improved somewhat with the centre-left government that came to power in May 2022 after Australia banned Huawei from accessing its 5G network in 2018.
China then responded with trade restrictions and tariffs on Australian exports such as coal, lobster and wine.
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