- cross-posted to:
- unitedkingdom@feddit.uk
- cross-posted to:
- unitedkingdom@feddit.uk
cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/54887311
Several libraries in Surrey are using CCTV cameras made by a Chinese firm whose equipment is banned from sensitive government sites over security concerns.
The cameras, made by Hikvision, are in libraries in Guildford, Ash, Chertsey, Cobham, Farnham, Merstham and New Haw, according to a Freedom of Information response to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
The UK government stopped the installation of Chinese-made surveillance cameras at sensitive sites in Whitehall in 2022, citing security concerns.
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A Surrey County Council (SCC) spokesperson said its library cameras operate as closed systems, meaning they are not connected to any corporate networks or the internet.
They said: "As a result, the primary risks normally associated with these devices – such as remote access or cyber vulnerabilities, do not apply in this case.
The council said the cameras were kept in secure staff-only areas and that any risk was considered “low” and the equipment was properly managed.
Sam Goodman, of the China Strategic Risks Institute, said councils should review their use of Hikvision equipment following concerns over national security and human rights.
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So what is the actual risk posed by a Chinese manufactured camera at a library?
In addition to what @Curiositymonger@reddthat.com has said, there is also the issue of working conditions under which these cameras have been produced, supposedly with forced labour/slavery-like conditions.
For this camera at this place the risk is not a lot. The problem is that if an authoritarian state has the the whole market for security cameras, then there is no other option for places where security is much more important.