Gold Coast City Council using CCTV equipment made by Chinese company US accused of spying

THE Gold Coast City Council’s CCTV network includes cameras made by one of two Chinese companies whose products have been banned in the US in the wake of allegations of spying.

ARE Gold Coasters under surveillance by Chinese Government agents every time they walk down Cavill Mall or walk and drive around the Glitter Strip’s streets?

That is a question bothering some in the wake of bans imposed by the US on two Chinese companies that make CCTV cameras, in the wake of allegations of spying.

Gold Coast authorities have yet to act on concerns that the Chinese-made CCTV cameras among the city’s security network could be hacked to allow Chinese Government surveillance.

Could the Chinese government be watching us?

City council cameras include devices made by one of the two Chinese companies whose products are now banned in the US.

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The Federal Government has also removed a number of CCTV cameras manufactured by Chinese companies Hikvision and Dahua, but is yet to warn state and local governments against using them.

A council spokesman said the city had a “comprehensive cyber security program’’ that was reviewed regularly.

The Bulletin sent questions about the cameras to the Australian Defence Department on September 17, but there has been no response other than a brief comment from a spokesman who said the questions were being “followed up”.

Some CCTV cameras Picture: Stuart Millian

The US Government banned its agencies from using surveillance cameras made by Hikvision, which is 42 per cent owned by the Chinese Government’s defence research arm, and the privately owned Dahua, after allegations of foreign espionage.

Experts say most of the security cameras used in Australia are made by Hikvision and Dahua, the world’s largest and second-largest camera surveillance companies.

In Australia the cameras are everywhere — from people’s homes, streets and shopping centres to schools and universities, at train stations, on buses, in and outside Federal Government buildings including intelligence agencies, at the ABC and in state government departments and local councils.

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A Gold Coast City Council spokesman confirmed it uses “a small number” of cameras made by one of the two companies.

CCTV cameras are widely used.

“These cameras function as a stand-alone tool and are not connected to other city infrastructure or networks,” he said.

“Again, we have not received any direct advice from the Federal Government regarding concerns about any CCTV products.

“The city has a comprehensive cyber security program in place that is reviewed regularly to ensure a high level of protection.”

The US claims the Chinese CCTV manufacturers, whose cameras have been used to identify ethnic minorities and political dissidents in China, have passed data they collect in the US to the Chinese Government.

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Hikvision and Dahua have denied the claims, saying they have not and would not carry out espionage-related activities for the Chinese or any other government.

But cyber security expert Fergus Hanson, from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told the ABC the cameras could be remotely accessed to allow the Chinese Government to spy.

“You can remotely access them so, for example, from China to another location around the world, and essentially see what that camera’s seeing,” he said in an interview on ABC TV’s 7.30 program.

“The passwords are available online. Because of Chinese laws, there’s a requirement to engage in espionage on behalf of the state.

“If they’re not properly configured, they provide all kinds of vulnerability.”

The Federal Government removed a Hikvision camera at the RAAF Base Edinburgh in Adelaide after the 7.30 report questioned its use.