Key Takeaways
- The Amsterdam municipality will phase out Chinese CCTV cameras within five years due to concerns about human rights violations and potential espionage involvement.
- The city council voted to develop new contract conditions for the purchase of surveillance systems, which will include clauses regarding human rights.
- There are concerns about the possible involvement of Chinese camera manufacturers in human rights violations in China, including against Uyghurs.
Amsterdam: The municipality of the Dutch capital of Amsterdam will stop using cameras made in China over concerns about human rights violations and spying, Dutch newspaper NL Times reported, citing city council member Alexander Scholtes.
In May 2023, the Amsterdam city council passed a motion to stop using Chinese-made cameras due to concerns that they transmit images to the Chinese government or manufacturer. This was reported on Monday, highlighting the city’s growing concerns about surveillance and human rights.
Scholtes, who deals with issues related to the city’s information and communications technology policy, said in a letter to the city council that Chinese cameras will be phased out in Amsterdam within five years, the report said. Currently, the city uses 1,280 Chinese cameras to perform various “municipal tasks,” including surveillance or monitoring traffic on the roads, the report added.
There are also “concerns about the possible involvement of Chinese camera manufacturers in human rights violations in China, including against Uyghurs,” Scholtes said in the letter.
However, the Amsterdam municipality does not plan to immediately replace all Chinese cameras due to the high costs, the newspaper reported, adding that the government intends to develop new contract conditions for the purchase of surveillance systems, which will include clauses regarding human rights.
In April, the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service said that a cyberthreat from Russia and China increased last year, with semiconductor, aerospace and maritime industries increasingly becoming targets for Chinese espionage.
