Morrisons and Tesco have halted the use of Chinese CCTV cameras within all stores amid fears over their security and ethical risks.
The Telegraph reported that Morrisons has joined the UK’s largest grocer in removing equipment supplied by Hikvision and Dahua over their alleged involvement in the suppression of the Uyghur Muslim community living in north-west China.
Marks & Spencer said it did not have any Hikvision cameras in any of its stores as part of its policy to ensure its supply chains were “sustainable and ethical and that human rights are respected”.
In the US, Hikvision has been banned from supplying its technology since last year after being deemed an unacceptable risk to national security.
Under Chinese law, companies must “support, assist and co-operate” with state intelligence work.
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The supermarkets said their decision was made in response to pressure from campaign groups led by Big Brother Watch.
Hikvision and Dahua provide technology “that facilitates the persecution and oppression of ethnic and religious groups in the Uyghur region, Tibet and Hong Kong and have no place in the UK”.
“These cameras also give rise to serious security concerns, given their links to the Chinese state and their history of security flaws.”
Morrisons said it was “committed to the protection and advancement of human rights in our supply chain and we take this issue very seriously”.
Amid fears about ethical concerns over Hikvision, the store said it had stopped purchasing the company’s CCTV cameras in 2022 and had “transitioned to a new supplier whose devices we are phasing in”.
Tesco said it had taken immediate action to identify alternative suppliers as soon as it became aware of alleged “human rights abuses” involving the firms.
Big Brother Watch legal and policy officer Madeleine Stone said: “Hikvision and Dahua are closely linked to grave human rights abuses across China and their AI-powered CCTV poses a risk to the privacy and security of the British public.
“As British retailers are starting to strip out these rights-abusing surveillance companies from the high street, the Government is trailing behind by refusing to take action. Hikvision and Dahua have no place in the UK.”
