Government urged to “expand protection” against Chinese State-owned CCTV

Dowden’s statement – also reiterated in the House of Lords by Conservative Life Peer Baroness Lucy Jeanne Neville-Rolfe – begins: “The Government keeps the security of its personnel, information, assets and estate under constant review. In this context, the Government Security Group has undertaken a review of the current and future possible security risks associated with the installation of visual surveillance systems on the Government estate. The review has concluded that, in light of the threat posed to the UK and the increasing capability and connectivity of these systems, additional controls are required.”

The statement continues: “Government Departments have therefore been instructed to cease deployment of such equipment at sensitive sites where it’s produced by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of the People’s Republic of China. Since security considerations are always paramount around these sites, we are taking action now to prevent any security risks materialising.”

Dowden adds: “Additionally, Government Departments have been advised that no such equipment should be connected to departmental core networks and that they should consider whether they should remove and replace such equipment where it is deployed on sensitive sites rather than awaiting any scheduled upgrades. Departments have also been advised to consider whether there are sites outside the definition of sensitive sites to which they would wish to extend the same risk mitigation.”

In conclusion, the statement reads: “Government will continue to keep this risk under review and will take further steps if and when they become necessary.”

Big Brother Watch responds

According to Big Brother Watch’s legal and policy officer Madeleine Stone, the Government’s decision to end the deployment of specific surveillance equipment is an “important first step”. However, the organisations feels that the protection being afforded to ministers and civil servants alike must also be expanded to include the population at large.

“Our research has suggested that Chinese State-owned CCTV is used by over 60% of public bodies here in the UK,” explained Stone. “Now that the Government has acknowledged the risk these systems potentially pose to national security, it should protect members of the public at large and ban the companies behind them from operating anywhere in the UK.”

Stone concluded: “It’s unacceptable that companies we feel pose a real risk to security and Human Rights are allowed to operate on the streets of Britain.”

Big Brother Watch has been actively campaigning for a blanket ban on Chinese State-owned surveillance systems. Earlier in 2022, the organisation published a detailed report on what it refers to as the “dominance” of Chinese State-owned CCTV in the public sector.

In July last year, and as reported at the time by the BBC, the campaign group co-ordinated a cross-party pledge from circa 70 Parliamentarians calling for a ban on specific systems in addition to a national review of “modern CCTV” here in the UK.