Tesco to shelve Chinese CCTV ‘linked to human rights abuses’

TESCO, Britain’s biggest supermarket, is to ditch Chinese CCTV surveillance cameras from its stores after warnings over their security and ethical risks.

The retailer has told campaigners that it is removing equipment supplied by Hikvision and Dahua over their involvement in alleged human rights abuses in the suppression of the Uyghur Muslim minority by China.

Hikvision has also been banned from supplying its technology in the US after being judged an unacceptable risk to national security. Under Chinese law, companies must “support, assist and cooperate” with state intelligence work.

The Government has also told its departments to stop installing Chinese-linked surveillance cameras, and UK police forces are reviewing their use of the equipment amid growing fears over Beijing spying on the West. Tesco revealed its policy change in a reply to campaign groups led by Big Brother Watch, which wrote to leading supermarkets urging them to remove Hikvision and Dahua cameras from their stores because of their involvement in “serious human rights abuses and association with significant security issues”.

“These companies provide technology that facilitates the persecution and oppression of ethnic and religious groups in the Uyghur region (“Xinjiang”), Tibet and Hong Kong and have no place in the UK,” they said.

“These cameras also give rise to serious security concerns, given their links to the Chinese state and their history of security flaws.” Jason Tarry, Tesco’s chief executive, replied: “When we became aware of the allegations linked to Hikvision and Dahua, we took action to identify alternative suppliers.

“While we recognise the severity of these allegations, [it] will take some time until all the equipment can be swapped out. We can confirm that we are now in the process of transitioning to new suppliers.”

The Co-op said it had a “limited number” of Hikvision cameras and hardware but will consider alternative suppliers as part of a review of CCTV equipment this year.

Madeleine Stone, Big Brother Watch’s legal and policy officer, said Tesco’s decision set an important precedent. “Other retailers must now follow suit and remove these rights-abusive surveillance devices from their stores. There is no excuse for funding companies linked to crimes against humanity.”

Hikvision said it was “categorically false” to say it posed a threat to national security, adding that it scrupulously followed UK rules and regulations.

‘Other retailers must follow suit and remove these rights-abusive surveillance devices from their stores’