Australia- Removing Chinese-Made Security Cameras

Australia –

Australia’s defense department is going to remove all Chinese-made security cameras from its buildings to ensure their “complete security,” according to the government.

This action comes after similar decisions made by the US and Britain, who have taken steps to prevent government departments from installing Chinese cameras at sensitive locations due to concerns that Chinese firms might be forced to share intelligence collected by the cameras with China’s security services.

Over 913 Chinese cameras have been installed across more than 250 Australian government buildings, including offices and facilities belonging to the defense, foreign affairs, finance, and attorney-general departments.

The national War Memorial, funded by the government, will also remove a small number of Chinese cameras as a precaution. Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said officials would remove all Chinese-made cameras from its buildings, stating that it was important to go through this process to ensure facilities are completely secure.

James Paterson, an opposition politician and critic of the Chinese government, had previously stated that Australian government buildings were “riddled” with “spyware” and that every Chinese camera should be removed immediately. The cameras were manufactured by Hikvision and Dahua, companies blacklisted by the US for allegedly assisting the Chinese government in a “campaign of repression.”

According to the US Department of Commerce, Hikvision and Dahua have been implicated in the high-tech surveillance of the Uyghur minority in the Xinjiang region.