UK to remove Chinese-made surveillance equipment from sensitive government sites
In the face of mounting national security concerns pegged to Chinese-sourced technology, Britain is taking resolute action to protect its citizens. Under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s leadership, a broad directive has been issued to cease use of surveillance tools linked to China on government premises. This timely move towards vigilance follows previous appeals from parliamentarians for an outright ban on Hikvision and Dahua cameras—both partially owned by the Chinese state—owing to apprehensions related to privacy and human rights abuses within the nation.
Beijing has not taken kindly to this initiative, accusing the UK of unjustly weaponizing the notion of national security against Chinese businesses. Such criticism follows other efforts to ward off potential threats stemming from East Asia; including barring TikTok on official phones earlier this year plus plans to shut out Huawei from Britain’s 5G system in 2020.
Source: UK to remove Chinese-made surveillance equipment from sensitive government sites | Reuters
