New documents obtained and published today by the Manx TaxPayers’ Alliance under Freedom of Information Act protections show that Hikvision cameras are being used by at least one Government department in the Isle of Man.
In a document released to the Manx TaxPayers’ Alliance, the Department for Enterprise has said that it operates “eight surveillance cameras manufactured by HikVision and Samsung.”
Hikvision is a company linked to crimes against humanity in China. Hikvision reportedly facilitate Chinese government’s persecution of the Uyghurs, from forced sterilisation in “re-education camps” to violent torture. This company is violating human rights abroad and should not be used by the Isle of Man Government.
Across in the United Kingdom, almost 70 MPs and Peers (10 Conservative, 25 Labour, 23 Lib Dems, 3 SNP, 2 Green, 4 Crossbench) have already signed a pledge calling on the British government to ban Chinese state-owned surveillance camera companies:
“We call for a ban on the sale and operation of Hikvision and Dahua surveillance equipment in the UK and condemn their involvement in technology-enabled human rights abuses in China. We call on the Government to commission an independent national review of the scale, capabilities, ethics and rights impact of modern CCTV in the UK.”
MPS CALL ON GOVERNMENT TO BAN CHINESE CCTV IN THE UK
The Manx public should not be watched by advanced CCTV cameras involved in crimes against humanity; nor should Manx taxpayers be funding companies responsible for these technology-enabled human rights abuses. We call on the Isle of Man Government to find all such devices on their property and remove them.
3 Reasons to ban Hikvision
Three good reasons provided by the British group, Big Brother Watch:
1. TECH-ENABLED HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES
Hikvision provides the CCTV technology that guards concentration camps in Xinjiang, China and provide the backbone for the government-backed mass surveillance and persecution of broadly Muslim minorities.
2. SECURITY RISKS
Both companies have significant links to the Chinese government and have had significant security vulnerabilities exposed.
3. DYSTOPIAN SURVEILLANCE STATE
On most new Hikvision and Dahua cameras, “smart” features powered by algorithms and AI are sold as standard, from behavioural analysis to face and gender recognition.
IOM is behind the UK
In the United Kingdom, the Government has already taken action to disconnect Hikvision cameras and stop their installation.
Government departments have been ordered to stop installing surveillance cameras made by Chinese firms on ‘sensitive sites’ due to security concerns…
The order, revealed in a written statement to MPs, applies to ‘visual surveillance systems’ made by firms subject to China‘s national security law, which requires companies to co-operate with Beijing‘s security services.
Whitehall ministries have been told existing equipment should not be connected to departmental core networks and consideration should be given to removing it entirely.
The Commons Foreign Affairs Committee has previously called for the prohibition of equipment manufactured by Hikvision and other companies said to have had their cameras deployed in internment camps in China’s Xinjiang province.
Government departments ordered to STOP installing new Chinese-made security cameras and disconnect those already in use from their main computer systems over cyber ‘security risks’ linked to Beijing regime