Sanctioned Chinese Company’s Cameras Found Across 50 Quebec Cities, Hospitals, Government Facilities

A Hikvision camera is presented at an electronic mall for selling in Beijing, China, on May 24, 2019. Fred Dufour/AFP via Getty Images

Surveillance cameras made by a sanctioned Chinese tech company, Hikvision, are reportedly installed in 50 Quebec cities and public facilities. Canada’s intelligence service has issued warnings about the potential national security risks posed by Hikvision’s surveillance systems.

Le Journal de Montréal, in a Dec. 19 article, revealed warnings from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) concerning Hikvision cameras. In a document the outlet obtained dated Nov. 2, 2022, CSIS said that Hikvision cameras could potentially be used for espionage activities within Canada. A portion of the document was included in the article.

“Chinese company Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co. Ltd poses a threat to Canada’s national security because it and its products could serve as an intelligence collection platform at home and abroad,” the document, titled “CSIS Security Alert,” states in French.

In its security alert, CSIS cited reports dating back to 2020 that the U.S. Department of Defence warned that Hikvision is owned and operated by the People’s Liberation Army of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

In an annual report to the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Defence Department highlighted China’s efforts to enhance its defence capabilities by integrating military and civilian technologies and seeking global leadership in areas like artificial intelligence (AI). The report identified Hikvision as one of several “AI champions” from China that has been exporting AI surveillance technology worldwide.

The Epoch Times contacted Hikvision for comment but didn’t immediately hear back.

Cameras in Canada

To raise awareness about the Chinese company, CSIS has reportedly shared the security alert detailing numerous security flaws in Hikvision’s cameras with its partners, including Quebec’s ministry of digital cybersecurity, Le Journal de Montréal reported.

“Around the world, ’smart city' systems are using Hikvision’s facial recognition technologies, which can create a platform for the PRC to carry out espionage activities abroad,” the CSIS document stated.

“Additionally, Hikvision’s products have security vulnerabilities that make them extremely vulnerable. These security vulnerabilities, combined with gaps in privacy controls, allow the PRC to intercept private data remotely.”

In a separate article published on Dec. 18, Le Journal de Montréal reported that around 50 Quebec organizations have installed Hikvision cameras. This includes the City of Montreal, Quebec’s ministry of transport, and Hydro-Québec, along with various schools, health and social services centres, and senior homes.

Despite warnings from CSIS, the Quebec transport ministry acquired 4,000 Hikvision cameras last year specifically for video conferences for its officials, as reported by Le Journal de Montréal.

The Epoch Times contacted the City of Montreal for comment but didn’t immediately hear back.

Sanctions

Hikvision, headquartered in Hangzhou city, Zhejiang Province, faces sanctions from Canadian allies over security concerns and alleged associations with the Chinese regime’s human rights abuses, including the control and suppression of ethnic minorities in China.

In November 2022, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission expanded its ban on the sale and import of Chinese technology from firms deemed a threat to U.S. national security. The move imposed additional restrictions on Hikvision and other Chinese tech giants like Huawei and ZTE.

In a parallel move, the British government took action the same month to ban the installation of new Chinese surveillance equipment from sensitive government sites. The decision was made more than a year after the UK Ministry of Defence reportedly issued guidance against the use or installation of Hikvision cameras.

In March 2023, the U.S. government announced additional sanctions on five Chinese tech companies, all of which were reportedly subsidiaries established by Hikvision, as indicated in a 2019 document from the company. The sanctions were enacted in response to their alleged participation in the repression of the Uyghur minority in China’s Xinjiang region. Media reports suggest that, at the time of the sanction, at least four of these companies were subsidiaries of Hikvision.

The CSIS document also outlined the connections between Hikvision and Beijing’s repression of Uyghur minorities.

“The company’s security equipment has been used to closely monitor public places and concentration camps in the Chinese region as well as provide in-depth analysis,” CSIS stated. “More than a passive supplier, Hikvision is responsible for organizing, implementing and directly managing surveillance projects in Xinjiang, at least until 2040.”

Hikvision has also sparked concerns for allegedly tracking protesters and adherents of Falun Gong, according to a December 2022 report from Pennsylvania-based video surveillance information company IPVM. The report detailed how the Chinese company has initiated alarms to track protesters, Falun Gong practitioners, and “religion,” alongside offences like homicide, gambling, kidnapping, rape, and drug use. IPVM reported that Hikvision had deleted these references on the company’s website following its inquiry.

Aldgra Fredly and Hannah Ng contributed to this report.