UK surveillance cameras regulator withdraws from industry conference over Hikvision’s involvement
- Fraser Sampson, commissioner for biometrics and surveillance cameras, says Hikvision has not yet answered questions over Xinjiang
- Sampson had been set to speak at the CCTV User Group’s Vision 2022 conference in April
Fraser Sampson, Britain’s commissioner for biometrics and surveillance cameras, said Hikvision had yet to answer his questions about human rights abuses in Xinjiang first put to the surveillance camera maker last year, prompting his withdrawal.
State-backed Hikvision is a prominent sponsor of CCTV User Group’s Vision 2022 conference, which is expected to take place next month in the village of Whittlebury in Northamptonshire county.
“I asked several questions of Hikvision, one being simply whether they accepted that such atrocities were taking place,” Sampson said. “They have still not answered those questions.”
Hikvision did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The commissioner’s withdrawal from speaking at the conference was reported earlier by The Telegraph.
Sampson said he had previously advised the CCTV User Group that he would not attend the conference if Hikvision continued to refuse to answer his questions, noting that the company was a major advertiser and presenter at the conference.
“The conference organisers advised me that they had decided to withdraw Hikvision’s invitation and on that basis I agreed to attend,” he said. “When this decision was subsequently reversed, I no longer felt able to attend.”
The group noted that the UK government had not banned any Chinese company from supplying CCTV equipment and Hikvision’s equipment continues to be installed by the government and private sector in the UK.
“Banning them from attending the CCTV User Group conference would have limited impact on Hikvision either in China or the UK, but would have a disproportionate impact on the CCTV User Group,” the industry body said. “Fraser is essentially asking us to pay the price that might allow him to apply a little leverage over one company.”
“If you want to have a conversation with us, we welcome it. We will be candid and factual,” Hollis said in the letter, which was released by Sampson’s office. “All we ask is that you keep any commercially sensitive information that we might share out of the media and from anti-Hikvision and anti-China platforms, though your correspondence to Hikvision was already publicised without providing a respectful amount of time to respond.”
“I do however understand that you might not be free to answer them,” he wrote. “Should this situation change, I will readily meet with you once you have addressed the questions and we can then discuss our respective responsibilities and expectations in ensuring the ethical and accountable development of public space surveillance.”