Chinese eyes for Big Brother

Hikvision video surveillance systems can see in the dark, recognize car numbers and recognize people by sight. The company’s close ties to the Chinese authorities have contributed to its explosive growth, but they have also become a major problem. Hikvision is one of the companies involved in building a China-wide police surveillance system. With its help, they not only solve crimes and monitor compliance with coronavirus quarantine, but, according to critics, track the movements of people objectionable to the authorities. Especially in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which has been dubbed “an open-air prison” in the Western media.

Accusations of persecution of the Uyghurs were the reason for the imposition of sanctions against Hikvision by the United States. Added to this were rumors (not proven in any way) that Chinese intelligence could receive a picture from Hikvision cameras. And they, by the way, were installed not only around the world, but even at secret military bases. Now Western countries are getting rid of Hikvision products. “All this can very quickly turn Hikvision into a purely domestic company,” writes IPVM, a specialized online publication. But this is still a long way off, and surveillance systems are in demand in authoritarian countries.