Hikvision, a Chinese company that supplies surveillance equipment for residential and commercial customers, including the military, has been ordered by the Canadian government to shut down operations in Canada, according to Reuters. The reason? National security concerns.
Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co. Ltd. a partly owned by the state. Headquartered in Hangzhou, Zheijiang, the company was founded in 2001 and says it focuses on “integrated security and scenario-based digitalization.” Leveraging the latest AI technology, the company provides services in more than 180 countries and regions and has reported revenue of US$12.87 billion or about $17.5 billion Canadian. The company offers products like network cameras and DVRs. Its latest product is the DeepinViewX-Series Bullet Cameras, which are powered by advanced Guanlan large-scale AI models providing long range and 24/7 video capture. The company issued a press release for the product through Cision this morning.
Hikvision has already dealt with sanctions and restrictions in the U.S. due to its alleged dealings in the Xinjiang region of China, where there have been alleged documented abuses against various marginalized communities, including the Uyghur and Muslim communities. For its part, the Chinese government has denied these allegations. Hikvision also reportedly ended contracts through five subsidiaries in Xinjiang following a U.S. trade blacklist that was devised in 2023.
Canada’s Industry Minister Melanie Joly posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the government determined that “Hikvision Canada Inc.’s continued operations in Canada would be injurious to Canada’s national security.” While she did not elaborate further, she claims the decision was made following a multi-step review process involving information supplied by the security and intelligence community within Canada. Hikvision products will be banned from use in government offices and agencies and existing properties that use them will be reviewed. The decision purportedly does not extend to affiliate operations outside of the country, notes CBC, though Joly “strongly encourages” Canadians to make their own decisions based on the information provided.
A Hikvision spokesperson told Reuters that the company “strongly disagrees” with the decision and views it with “deep concern,” adding that it lacks “a factual basis, procedural fairness, and transparency.”
They alluded to the decision being fueled by the company’s country of origin and not the merits of products and expertise in cybersecurity. They call it a move that reflects “broader geopolitical tensions and an “unjustified bias against Chinese companies.”
Back in 2022, the U.S. banned the sale of Huawei and ZTE products in the country, citing similar security fears, according to the BBC. Those products remain unavailable in the U.S. market, though products from both brands, including smartphones and smartwatches, continue to be available in Canada.