National Security Will Install CCTV in HK for fear of People’s Soft Confrontation

A surveillance camera is shown on a lamp post in Mong Kok, Hong Kong, on July 9, 2024. (Adrian Yu/The Epoch Times)

Experts are concerned about HK’s plans for CCTV surveillance, saying citywide coverage is another step towards creeping “mainlandization” and will be used to clamp down on what authorities call “soft resistance.”

Kan Kai-yan, Deputy Commissioner of the Hong Kong Police Force responsible for national security, said in an interview with a TV program on July 7 that the installation of closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) is “good for national security and the overall social well-being.”

The bureau will study further how CCTVs could be used to collect intelligence, adding that national security risks still exist in Hong Kong. Mr. Kan claimed there are still some people who persist in engaging in various forms of “soft resistance,” such as “playing edge balls” (doing something in a quasi-legal way).

He also cited the “Sheep Village” fiction books, the sale of seditious materials in the “yellow market,” and the suggestion to ignore organ donation appeals as examples of “soft resistance.”

Some experts pointed out that the Hong Kong government is currently using all available means to enhance surveillance and intimidation of the Hong Kong people, describing the administration as “using fear as a means to govern Hong Kong.”

Scholar: Creating Fear as a Means to Govern Hong Kong

Chung Kin-wah, a Hong Kong social policy and public administration scholar, pointed out in an interview with the Epoch Times that the Hong Kong government is currently using all sorts of available resources to strengthen surveillance and intimidation of the people of Hong Kong.

“Without the CCTVs, it already committed serious violations of human rights. With its introduction, it will be greatly reinforced,” he said.

Mr. Chung describes the local administration as “using fear as a means to govern Hong Kong,” turning it into a replica of the situation on the mainland. A citywide coverage of cameras is another step toward further “mainlandization.”

Chung believes that the Hong Kong government’s move constitutes an invasion of privacy.

He says that while the UK was the first country to introduce surveillance cameras,  it has strict regulations on the use of relevant data and images and a mechanism in place allowing democratic supervision. Within Hong Kong’s current political environment, however, there will be no clear boundaries for the use of CCTV data, he said.

Commentator: Fear of ‘Soft Resistance’ by Hong Kong People

Johnny Fok Ka-chi, host of the online program “Tuesday Road,” who was accused of endangering national security and on the wanted list of the Hong Kong government, said in the program on July 8 that Mr. Kan’s remarks amount to “sabotaging Hong Kong’s brand name” and sent a quasi travel warning of Hong Kong to the rest of the world.

Regarding the installation of CCTVs, Mr. Fok said that the Hong Kong administration is imitating mainland China by installing surveillance cameras everywhere. He said that even after the departure of lots of pro-democrat activists and “yellow folks,” as well as the forced passage of Article 23 of the Basic Law, the government still insisted on claims that Hong Kong is no safer from covert national security risks.

With increased actions on arrests and prevention still in place, topped up with widespread CCTV installations, it means that “hidden resistance is also not allowed” in Hong Kong.

The arrest of those who turned their backs to the stadium during the playing of the national anthem is a good example of how terrible the current situation is. In the end, when the authorities are unable to “dig out whatever credible cases” to support their (national security) claims, they simply resort to saying, “there is still local terrorism seeds hiding inside Hong Kong.”

Emphasized in February, There Was No Tracking Function

Warner Cheuk Wing-hing, Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, once claimed in January this year (2024) that the government would install 2,000 CCTVs across Hong Kong, claiming it was for “crime prevention.”

In February, Police Commissioner Raymond Siu Chak-yee said that 2,000 CCTVs were not enough and that more needed to be installed in the future. He claimed at the time that all these CCTVs were used for crime prevention, which included “public order” and “national security” cases.

In the same month, the Security Bureau and the Police Force submitted a document to the Legislative Council on “Continuous Expansion of Digital Policing,” stating that 15 sets of cameras will be installed in Mong Kok for technical trials in March. After the operation is proven, the remaining cameras will be officially installed in the middle of 2024.

The authorities also emphasized that 600 CCTV cameras “carry no tracking function at this stage.” All recorded footage will be automatically deleted 30 days from the date of recording; however, if law enforcement officials believe that the footage is of value for criminal investigation, the clips will be retained and processed in accordance with defined internal police procedures on which the scenes might be copied, saved and further processed.

Cameras of Mainland Manufacturer Accused of Spying on Uyghurs Appear in Mong Kok

In April this year, the Police Force, together with different government departments, launched the “Project to Install CCTV at Crime Spots” in phases. In March, it took the lead in installing 15 sets in Mong Kok, and the media discovered that they included those made by mainland China’s Hikvision. The United States blacklisted this manufacturer after being accused by the U.S. Department of Commerce of assisting in the surveillance of Uyghurs.

In May, the Police Force applied to the Legislative Council for about HK$360 million (US$46 million) in funding to establish a central digital imaging platform for storing evidence. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-Keung, in response to a question from Legco members, said that the new platform would add facial recognition and other functions in the future, indicating that the new platform “already allows us to add these functions at any time. We all agree that the addition of artificial intelligence (AI) programs to the central digital imaging platform will help us investigate cases. This is what we will do next.” When needed, they will consider applying for further funding to include facial recognition functions.

Group Worries About National Security Tag Becoming ‘A Shield from Supervision’

The “Hong Kong Centre for Human Rights,” an organization that focuses on human rights, had expressed concern at the time that the Hong Kong government was speeding up the introduction of technologies such as facial recognition when there was no established mechanism to effectively monitor how law enforcement agencies used it. In addition, with no viable opposition in the Legislative Council at this time, mechanisms to monitor the police are also painfully missing.

Once any issues are classified under “national security,” and with the lack of a mechanism in place to monitor, it will become “a shield from supervision,” creating a chilling effect on the public and causing great human rights violations.

In a newspaper interview in June, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung revealed that 2,000 CCTV cameras would be installed in Hong Kong in 2024/25 and threatened to install 2,000 of them per year as a target in the future. At that time, Mr. Tang said that priority would be given to high-risk or crime-prone areas to evaluate the prevalent technological development and project progress and implement the relevant plans in phases. If necessary and resources permitting, “we will install more in the future.”