67 MPs and Lords have supported the call to ban the procurement and deployment of camera systems manufactured by Hikvision and Dahua. Both companies are linked to human rights violations in Xinjiang, China involving the imprisonment and torture of Uyghur Muslims. Whilst the firms deny the allegations, Hikvision cameras are the primary surveillance technology used in the detainment camps, and reports suggest that Dahua manufactured tools with the purpose of identifying Uyghurs.
Big Brother Watch has found that numerous UK public bodies, such as councils, secondary schools, universities, police forces and NHS trusts, use Hikvision and/ or Dahua CCTV systems. Madeleine Stone form Big Brother watch said “no democracy should have this kind of surveillance technology on its streets”.
The UK government has responded to the rising concern about these companies, telling BBC that they “take the security of our citizens, systems and establishments very seriously and have a range of measures in place to scrutinise the integrity of our arrangements.”.