US military site use Chinese cameras despite ban of Huawei ban

Surveillance cameras made by Hikvision, 42 per cent owned by the Chinese Government have continued to watch over US military bases just weeks ahead of  a federal ban on such equipments according to a review of defence contracts

Cameras made by Hikvision, remain in place at Peterson air force base in Colorado, the home of North American Aerospace defence  Command  (NORAD) and the headquarters of Air Force Space Command which spent $112, 000 on HIkvision cameras in 2016 and spokesperson said these were “ not associated with base security or classified areas” and were not connected to the internet or air force networks.  However, the base added they plan to evaluate these systems and replace them.

US Navy Research Base in Orlando, Florida, bought $4, 000 of Hikvision cameras even after the passage last year of National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA), which bans federal agencies from buying cameras telecom equipment from Hikvision and to other Chinese suppliers, Dahua and Hytera from this August.

Police departments in states like Massachusetts, Colorado and Tenessee are also still relying on Hikvision cameras. The Memphis police department alone has at least 1, 500 of them.

US state department bought more than $20, 000 worth of replacement Hytera radio parts for the US Embassy in Guatemala even after NDAA was passed, as part of its work with the Policia Nacional Civil.

IN 2017, an army memo said Hytera radios were being used for special forces training because the brand was extensively used by Islamic state.

Hikvision’s rapid expansion into the US surveillance market began in the 2010s, when it started telling cheap alternatives to devices made by brands such as Acis and Bosch.