- Geopolitics, not just technology, rewrite quietly who can sell cameras in Western markets
- HikVision says it’s unfair but closure shows that trust is no longer automatic for Chinese companies
- The company denies wrongdoing, but surveillance fears are now enough to end all business operations
Canada has ordered Chinese surveillance giant giant vision to cease its activities in the country with reference to national security concerns.
The ban follows a formal review conducted under the Investment Canada Act and marks a step towards foreign technology companies.
“The government has decided that HikVision Canada Inc.’s continued operations in Canada would be detrimental to Canada’s national security,” said industry minister Mélanie Joly.
International pressure and increasing suspicion
HikVision, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of surveillance cameras, has been operating in Canada since 2014.
However, its expansive global reach and ties to state -associated projects in China have long raised concerns from Western countries.
Although the government has not published the specific reasons behind its decision, it has stated that intelligence and security assessments played a key role.
This silence is likely to burn speculation, just like in previous crashes at Huawei, where classified intelligence was used to justify broad commercial limitations.
The comparison with Huawei is not unjustified. HikVision is now under the same kind of control that led to Huawei’s draft from 5G infrastructure projects in the five Eyes Nations.
The United States, UK and Australia have all already taken action against hiking vision, especially over claims that its cameras have been used to monitor Uyhur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang region, claims that Beijing denies.
The FBI has also warned of malware targeting webcams, and the Western world often believes that Chinese IoT is undoubtedly more dangerous than Tiktok, considered spyware.
Not surprisingly “HikVision” strongly disagree “with Canada’s decision and says,” We believe it lacks a factual basis, procedural justice and transparency, “the company claims that the move seems to be driven by the parent company’s country of origin. “
With geopolitical tensions that continue to define much of the West’s approach to Chinese companies, decisions such as Canada’s risk were seen less as technology -based assessments and more as a political attitude.
HikVision claimed it fully cooperated with the authorities and submitted all requested documents, but this did not change the result.
It is unclear how many public buildings in Canada still use HikVision devices, but Joly has committed to review and phase out any remaining equipment.
“I strongly urge Canadians to take note of this decision and make their own decisions accordingly,” she warned.
The Canadian government seems to focus on surveillance risks, and this questions smart devices’ reliability, such as webcams or parental control solutions.
As more homes and workplaces adopt smart cameras and surveillance tools, the line between convenience and intrusion becomes thinner.
If prohibition becomes more common, suppliers may need to prove more than just having strength to remain competitive.
Whether you choose a home monitoring system or are looking for the best antivirus software, the policy for hardware and software becomes more difficult to ignore.
Via financial times
