Is the world's largest CCTV surveillance camera vendor going to be the next Huawei? Canada bans Hikvision amidst security fears

Date:
Thu, 03 Jul 2025 00:03:00 +0000

Description:
Canada bans Hikvision following security review, aligning with allies amid growing distrust of Chinese surveillance tech.

FULL STORY

Canada has ordered Chinese surveillance giant Hikvision to cease its
operations in the country, citing national security concerns.

The ban follows a formal review conducted under the Investment Canada Act and marks a move against foreign technology firms.

"The government has determined that Hikvision Canada Inc.s continued
operations in Canada would be injurious to Canadas national security," said Industry Minister Mlanie Joly.

International pressure and rising suspicion

Hikvision, one of the worlds largest producers of surveillance cameras, has operated in Canada since 2014.

However its expansive global reach and ties to state-linked projects in China have long drawn concern from Western countries.

Although the government has not made public the specific reasons behind its decision, it has stated intelligence and security assessments played a
central role.

This silence is likely to fuel speculation, much like in previous crackdowns
on Huawei, where classified intelligence was used to justify broad commercial restrictions.

The comparison to Huawei is not unwarranted. Hikvision now finds itself under the same kind of scrutiny that led to Huaweis ejection from 5G infrastructure projects across the Five Eyes nations.

The US, UK, and Australia have all already taken measures against Hikvision, particularly over claims its cameras have been used to surveil Uyghur Muslims in Chinas Xinjiang region, allegations that Beijing denies.

The FBI has also warned about malware targeting webcams , and the Western
world often believes that Chinese IoT is arguably more dangerous than TikTok
, which is considered spyware.

Unsurprisingly, Hikvision strongly disagrees with Canada's decision, saying,
We believe it lacks a factual basis, procedural fairness, and transparency,
the company claims the move appears to be driven by the parent companys
country of origin.

With geopolitical tensions continuing to define much of the Wests approach to Chinese firms, decisions like Canadas risk being seen less as
technology-based judgments and more as political posturing.

Hikvision claimed it cooperated fully with authorities and submitted all requested documents, but this did not alter the outcome.

Its unclear how many public buildings in Canada still use Hikvision devices, but Joly has committed to reviewing and phasing out any remaining equipment.

I strongly urge Canadians to take note of this decision and make their own decisions accordingly, she warned.

The Canadian government appears to be focusing on surveillance risks, and
this questions the trustworthiness of smart devices, like the webcams or parental control solutions.

As more homes and workplaces adopt smart cameras and monitoring tools, the
line between convenience and intrusion becomes thinner.

If bans become more commonplace, vendors may need to prove more than just feature strength to remain competitive.

Whether you're selecting a home monitoring system or seeking the best
antivirus software, the politics of hardware and software are becoming harder to ignore.

Via Economic Times

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/is-the-worlds-largest-cctv-surveillance-camera-v endor-going-to-be-the-next-huawei-canada-gov-bans-hikvision-amidst-security-fe ars

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