Chinese tech in IoT raises concern; British lawmakers seek ban on Hikvision, Dahua

According to a report, Internet of Things(IoT) devices in Chinese companies posea new threat even as the UK’s moved to ban Huawei from its 5G telecoms networks.

A report in The Financial Times said three Chinese manufacturers hold over 50 per cent share of the global market of cellular IoT modules. The report added that "Quectel, Fibocomand China Mobile" provide "modules to a number of Chinese companies including Huawei, Hikvision and DJI". The companies are currently under the European and US radar.

The report added that IoT devices can easily track a person's movement which Chinese authorities can use to "pressure or threaten an adversary". In fact, reports claimed Chinese activists have filed lawsuits against the collection of facial recognition data in a rare show of defiance as China continues to tighten its surveillance infrastructure.

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British lawmakers have sought to ban sales of CCTV supplied by China's Hikvision and Dahua which allegedly provide ethnicity profiling tools in Xinjiang. A campaign group in the UK claimed several CCTV systems in the NHS Trust used the services of Hikvision and Dahua. Big Brother Watch alleged that Hikvision and Dahua were "closely linked to the genocide in Xinjiang" while adding that "Chinese state-owned CCTV has no place watching Britain’s streets."

Reports claim Hikvision and Dahua have already been banned in the US over security concerns. The UK lawmakers have called for a complete ban on Hikvision and Dahua over surveillance capabilities which include facial recognition, person tracking and gender identification calling it a "threat to civil liberties" in the UK.

Hikvision CCTV cameras have also become the centre of controversy in New Zealand. However, the company has denied claims it is involved in ethnic profiling and said sanctions in the US and allegations in the UK were "unverified".

(With inputs from Agencies)

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