The Canadian government on Friday ordered Chinese video surveillance system manufacturer Hikvisionto completely cease all its activities in the country, citing national security.
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Hikvision Digital Technology Co., Ltd., headquartered in Hangzhou, China and partially state-owned, is known internationally as Hikvision and manufactures and markets closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems for civil and military use.
On Friday, Canadian Industry Minister Mélanie Joly announced that Hikvision’s Canadian subsidiary is no longer permitted to operate in the country, following a national security review that determined that continuing to operate would harm national security. In response, Hikvision Canada Inc. said the decision was based on unfounded national security claims, arguing that its products comply with the country’s laws and regulations and meet strict security requirements.
Hikvision Canada also noted that it fully cooperated with the relevant government authorities throughout the review process and that the ban was imposed without evidence and without considering the data it provided.
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In the United States, the government has been trying for several years to remove equipment from the country's networks, due to concerns that such devices could allow the Chinese government to spy on the US.
Hikvision, along with other Chinese companies (such as Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Pacifica Networks, Dahua, China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom), has been added to a special list of prohibited suppliers (“Covered List”), as their products are considered to pose an unacceptable risk to national security.
Government funding for their products and services has been cut off, they have been banned from operating in the country, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has invested billions of dollars in a “replace” program that helps small telecommunications companies replace Chinese equipment.
However, the FCC recently announced that it has launched an investigation to determine whether these companies are still operating in the United States.
See also: Canada: Sues Google for anti-competitive behavior
The case of Hikvision and other Chinese companies highlights the growing tension in Western-Chinese relations, especially on issues of technology and national security. Many Western countries, such as Canada and the United States, fear that the equipment of these companies could be used for espionage or data breaches , due to their close ties to the Chinese government
Source: securityweek
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