Matt Boughton, the leader of Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, said: “The fear is biometric data is going to be fed back to the Chinese Communist Party via Hikvision’s cameras. Chinese companies are legally required to cooperate with state agencies should they be requested.”
George Pender, a Conservative Sevenoaks District councillor, says he wants more drastic action.
“We’re not going to put any more [cameras] in, but I would like us to go one step further, which would essentially mean removing them from the entirety of Sevenoaks District Council’s systems,” he said.
Many public bodies in Wales recently took a similar decision.
A spokesman for Hikvision said: “Technical analysis of Hikvision products have never indicated they are a threat to the national security interests of United Kingdom. It is regrettable that some individuals have been willing to politicise a critical element of the country’s security architecture, thus reducing public trust in the vital work that our products support.
“Hikvision does not store end users’ video data, does not offer cloud storage in the UK and therefore cannot transmit data from end users to third parties. Hikvision cameras are compliant with the applicable UK laws and regulations and are subject to strict security requirements.
“Hikvision takes all reports regarding human rights very seriously and recognizes our responsibility for protecting people. As a market leader, Hikvision is committed to upholding the highest standards and respect for human rights.”
A government spokesman said: “The government announced last year that departments should stop using visual surveillance systems produced by companies subject to China’s National Intelligence Law on certain government sites.”
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