The municipality of Amsterdam will remove more than 1,200 cameras from the city that come from Chinese companies such as Hikvision and Dahua. Although the cameras are affordable and offer good quality, there are concerns about spying and human rights violations by manufacturers.
The Amsterdam municipality wants to replace 1,280 Chinese-made cameras within five years, says Alexander Schulz, an ICT and Digital City consultant. Due to high depreciation and change costs of existing contracts, the cameras are not scheduled to be removed immediately, AT5 reports. Schulz believes the municipality is sending a “strong signal” by finding alternatives to Chinese camera systems.
The removal of the cameras was due in part to concerns about spying. The General Intelligence and Security Service, or AIVD, previously warned that China had targeted an “offensive cyber programme” against the Netherlands. Some cameras are also said to be located near “sensitive buildings”, such as police stations and government buildings, posing security risks. In addition, the cameras are said to be manufactured in areas where human rights are violated, such as forced labor of the Uyghur minority in China.
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