Uyghur Activists Urge Europe to Choose Ethics over China's Surveillance Technology
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World Uyghur Congress (WUC) has called on major European insurers and security firms to reassess partnerships with Chinese companies Hikvision and Dahua over human rights violations and cybersecurity threats.

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/5304910

Archived version

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) has urged major European insurers and security technology providers to reevaluate their reliance on Hikvision and Dahua products, citing growing evidence of human rights violations, cybersecurity risks, and their use in conflict zones, according to a WUC announcement.

“This is a call for responsible risk management,” said WUC President Turghunjan Alawudun. “Protecting clients’ data, reputations, and safety begins with acknowledging the risks embedded in the technologies you rely on. The situation demands internal audits and a careful re-evaluation of future partnerships. Our message is simple: if you doubt a technology’s security, don’t install it,” the release quoted him as saying.

In September 2025, the WUC, along with Don’t Fund Russian Army (DFRA) and Bourdon & Associes, filed a criminal complaint in France against Huawei, Hikvision, and Dahua. The complaint presents substantial evidence that technologies provided by these firms have been used to enable large-scale ethnic surveillance of Uyghurs – actions internationally recognised as crimes against humanity and genocide.

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The WUC has written to leading European firms, urging them to conduct internal audits, review partnerships with high-risk manufacturers, and consider the phased discontinuation of Hikvision and Dahua products, according to the release.

Recipients include major insurance providers Allianz and Munich Re in Germany; VidaCaixa, Mapfre, Mutua Madrilena, and Grupo Catalana Occidente (GCO) in Spain; and AXA, Credit Agricole Assurances, CNP Assurances, and Covea in France.

The letter also reached leading video-surveillance integrators and installers, including Securitas Deutschland (Securitas Holding GmbH), KOTTER, and Securiton Deutschland (Securiton GmbH) in Germany; Securitas Seguridad Espana, Prosegur Seguridad, Securitas Direct by Verisure, Grupo Control Seguridad, Segurma, and Vaelsys in Spain; and Goron S.A.S., Videoconsult, Ubitech Business, OPTI SÉCURITÉ, Nexecur, and IMA Protect in France, as highlighted in the WUC release.

  • Greddan@feddit.orgEnglish
    7·
    1 day ago

    Yup. Those Hikvision cameras are way too cheap for their performance, and call home an awful lot unless segmented and rained in properly (no internet access at all, preferably air-gapped). Installed a ton of them in a school (one of those for profit private schools that are more like gang recruiting offices than schools).

    Wouldn’t touch those things privately but I can at least minimise the risk when dealing with them for work. Sure, the principals were a little upset that they couldn’t watch children from their laptop at home (!?), but luckily schools are staffed with the dumbest people I’ve ever met. They will not only believe any made up technobabble excuse, they will act like they know exactly what you’re talking about in order to seem smart.