It was recently revealed in The Times newspaper the large extent to which Chinese Hikvision technology is deployed within Scotland’s public authorities for CCTV coverage.
This is a company which is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party and has wide usage within the People’s Liberation Army, its military arm. Previous concerns related to the fact that Hikvision was being used directly for state surveillance in China including within detention camps in Xinjiang and against China’s Uighur minorities. Not surprisingly, this raises serious concerns with several questions being asked about whether our values are compatible with a company complicit in state repression.
Out of Scotland’s 32 local authorities, just three have confirmed that they do not use Hikvision cameras anywhere in their estate, but the majority do as do Police Scotland who make use of many of these local authority cameras. Perth and Kinross Council is one local authority that makes use Hikvision cameras for public CCTV.
Back in 2021, the Foreign Affairs Committee investigated the use of Hikvision technology in the UK and raised concerns that it has the potential for abuse. As a result, the UK and Scottish Governments decommissioned the use of Hikvision technology on their own estates and the Biometrics Commissioners have advised due diligence is essential regarding the use of this technology in Scotland.
There are two separate issues in relation to the use of Chinese Hikvision cameras in Scotland: firstly, the obvious moral qualms, but more importantly, the very real threat to our national security.
In relation to the latter, we should be very concerned because all data captured on Hikvision devices are subject to China’s national intelligence law. Any transfer of personal data would be a breach of our citizens' privacy and safety and would be an especially unwelcome intrusion on public premises including schools. There is no doubt that the actions of the CCP harms the UK’s security, and even in the context of the interconnected world we live, prohibiting free access to this data should be considered a basic response to the immediate threat they pose.
At First Minister’s Questions on the 9 January, I asked John Swinney to be fully transparent with the public on this issue. I very much welcome the movement from the Scottish Government to treat this issue with the utmost seriousness. I very much hope this intervention will encourage a full decommissioning of Hikvision cameras across the entire public sector.
