Chinese companies have long been at the forefront of developing sophisticated surveillance technologies. Although many of these companies have lucrative trade deals with authorities and businesses in China, they are also dominant in markets around the world, including in the U.S. and UK.
Several of these companies were placed on the U.S. Department of Commerce’s “Entity List” in October 2019 due to their alleged activity in Xinjiang, in northwest China. A complex web of surveillance technologies in the region has supported the forced imprisonment of an estimated 1 million ethnic Uyghurs and other minority Turkic Muslim groups.[7]
According to the ruling, the companies were placed on the list because of their involvement “in human rights violations and abuses in the implementation of China’s campaign of repression, mass arbitrary detention, and high-technology surveillance against Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other members of Muslim minority groups in the XUAR [Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region]”.
The “Entity List” greatly restricts a company’s ability to trade with US corporations, although it appears several of the companies have attempted to bypass these restrictions by using their American subsidiaries.
Six companies currently on the U.S. trade blacklist are now actively promoting COVID-19-related surveillance technologies.
Hikvision
Notable Tech:
- Thermal Screening Technology
- Facial Recognition Software
- Mask Detection Solution
Hikvision is one of the largest manufacturers of facial recognition cameras in the world. The company earned over US$8.2 billion in 2019.[8]
The company, which has British and American subsidiaries, was placed on on the “Entity List” following a series of revelations about the company’s activity in Xinjiang.
In 2018, for example, the Financial Times reported that Hikvision had sold 1,000 facial recognition cameras to be placed at mosques in Xinjiang.[9]
Reports by IVPM also suggested that the company was advertising facial recognition cameras allegedly capable of identifying Uyghurs.[10]
The company has denied any wrongdoing in the region: “We have never done any inappropriate actions in Xinjiang.”[11]
Since the outbreak of Covid-19, the company has been actively marketing its thermal scanning technology. At the time of writing, five of the nine products displayed on the banner of its UK homepage are related to COVID-19.[12] On its US website, all of the products listed on the homepage are linked to the virus.[13]
Products include a Density Control System,[14] MinMoe, a “touch free temperature screening solution”,[15] a Mask Detection Solution,[16] and a webinar on the utility of using thermal imaging technologies in response to the virus.[17]
In the U.S., the company has donated to a non-profit to help provide food to vulnerable communities affected by the pandemic. Marianne Chew, Hikvision USA Director of Marketing, said, “Working together, we can make a difference. Hikvision USA is very grateful to have the opportunity to work with Mission 500, Feeding America, and others in the security industry to support children and families in need.”[18]
In a report by Nine News Sydney, Hikvision’s thermal imaging cameras also appear prominently.
In the UK, the company’s thermal screening technologies already appear to be in use. In a BBC digital report, Hikvision’s cameras are present in a shot depicting the use of thermal scanning technology as a way of protecting workers at Bournemouth Airport.
Screenshot from BBC, March 10, 2020.
Dahua Technologies
Notable Tech:
- “Retail Epidemic Safety Protection Solution”
- Thermal Screening Technology
Dahua Technologies, which also has an American subsidiary, Dahua Technology USA, is a video surveillance company with headquarters in Hangzhou, China. The company has distribution partners in over 180 countries and recorded sales of $2.89 billion in 2017.[19]
Dahua Technologies was placed on the Bureau of Industry & Security’s “Entity List” alongside Hikvision on October 9, 2019, after it was “determined by the U.S. Government to be acting contrary to the foreign policy interests of the United States.”
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the company has begun promoting its technology in a bid to slow the spread of the virus.
Dahua’s “Retail Epidemic Safety Protection Solution provides retailers with a long-term and effective solution that helps secure operations during the pandemic and subsequent recovery,” according to a press release published on the company’s website.[21]
The comprehensive package consists of a “Customer Flow Control Solution”, a “Temp Monitoring Solution” and “Social Distancing Reminder”, according to the company’s website.[21] The company lists restaurants, pharmacies, shopping malls and even casinos, which are illegal in most of China, as potential application scenarios.
A report by Reuters found that Amazon was found to have purchased Dahua’s thermal imaging cameras to scan their workers in the U.S..[22]
According to a press release for the company’s live webinar titled “How can thermal cameras help prevent the spread of COVID-19”, the company has supplied its thermal scanning technology to health authorities in Malaysia and Spain, transport hubs in Lebanon, Turkey and South Korea, as well as in a factory in Vietnam. The webinar was hosted with Omida, a company with headquarters in London.
According to a blog post by Tony Porter, the UK’s Surveillance Camera Commissioner, dated April 21, 2020: “In more authoritarian nations than ours facial recognition is tracking people who should be at home and thermal imaging cameras on public transport are assessing individuals’ temperatures to identify those who might have the virus so the authorities can intervene.”[23]
However, this distinction is rapidly diminishing as private companies and health authorities in democratic and undemocratic states alike continue to acquire thermal imaging and facial recognition technologies from domestic and international manufacturers.
SenseTime
Notable Tech:
- Smart AI Epidemic Prevention Solution
- Thermal Screening Technology
- Facial Recognition Technology
SenseTime is a Chinese company with offices in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, and Chengdu. It was reportedly once the most valuable AI startup in the world, with a valuation in excess of $4 billion.[24]
SenseTime is one of the many companies involved in China’s “rapidly expanding networks of surveillance cameras, [that] looks exclusively for Uyghurs based on their appearance and keeps records of their comings and goings for search and review,” the New York Times reported.[25]
Buzzfeed recently discovered that the company was also directly benefiting from US investments: “Millions of dollars from US university endowments, foundations, and retirement plans have helped fund two billion-dollar Chinese facial recognition startups: SenseTime and Megvii.”[26]
The company, which also appears on the “Entity List”, recently unveiled a host of new technologies aimed at slowing the spread of the virus in China and abroad.
The company claims that its “Smart AI Epidemic Prevention Solution” has been deployed in schools, community centers and public transport hubs in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.[27]
The technology can reportedly “detect a fever within an accuracy of 0.3°C because it integrates sophisticated AI algorithms with infrared thermal technology. It can identify any individual who is not wearing a face mask, with a success rate over 99%, before notifying the personnel on duty.”
In a press release dated May 7 2020, the company boasts of its “SenseMeteor Smart Commute System”, which introduced “QR code[s] and face scanning payment system at subway stations in Zhengzhou, Xi’an and Harbin, [to] help streamline ticket gate operations.”[28]
The release continues to describe how this technology “crucially minimizes potential virus transmission for commuters during a time of heightened public health concerns.”
A report by Human Rights Watch cited QR codes as one of the ways authorities had monitored citizens of Xinjiang.
The technology has also been deployed in Russia to track citizens’ movement during the pandemic.
Megvii
Notable Tech:
- Thermal Screening Technology
Megvii is a Chinese company with headquarters in Beijing that specialises in image recognition and deep-learning software.
Goldman Sachs had been involved in the company’s planned initial public offering. However, the investment bank reportedly later revised its position after Megvii were placed on the U.S. “Entity List” due to their alleged involvement in Xinjiang.[29]
The company is best known for its Face++ facial recognition technology. According to a recent TechCrunch article, the company “have worked with the Chinese government on software used in mass surveillance systems.”[30]
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the company has also started to actively market biometric surveillance technology in a bid to help slow the spread of the virus.
According to one press release on the company’s website, for example, the company’s “AI-enabled temperature screening solution has been deployed at 191 supermarkets across Beijing, including well-known chain operators Chaoshifa and Wumart.”[31]
The release continues, “To date, Megvii has deployed temperature screening solutions in various locations including convenience stores and supermarkets, residential and commercial buildings, hospitals, subway stations, and campuses to facilitate the re-opening of businesses and schools.”
Megvii has received funding from the Australian investment bank, Macquarie Group, as well as a wholly owned subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, according to the company’s website.[33]
iFlytek
Notable Tech:
- Contact Tracing Technology
- Speech Recognition Technology
iFlytek is a Chinese artificial intelligence company that specializes in facial recognition and speech technology.
They were also added to the U.S. “Entity List” due to their alleged involvement in Xinjiang in October 2019.
On March 30, 2020, the company announced their new partnership with the South Korean technology company, Hancom Group.[33]
The partnership was established to create Accufly.AI, an “A.I. Outbound Calling System to assist the South Korean government at no cost and provide information to individuals who have been in close contact with or have had a confirmed coronavirus case.”
The technology, which utilizes the company’s speech recognition technology, was part of a global mission to help fight against the pandemic.
“The battle against the Covid-19 epidemic requires collective wisdom and sharing of best practices from the international community,” said the company’s Chief Financial Officer, Dawei Duan.
“Given the challenges we all face, iFLYTEK is continuously looking at ways to provide technologies and support to partners around the world, including in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia.”
The company also attended this year’s CES event in Las Vegas, where it “held a successful exhibition of products and applications in education, healthcare and public welfare sectors.”[34]
As our previous investigation into the Security & Policing event in the UK and ISC West has demonstrated, this is certainly not the first time that Chinese companies with controversial pasts have been welcomed to British and American trade shows.
Meiya Pico
Notable Tech:
- Thermal Screening Technology
Xiamen Meiya Pico Information Ltd., otherwise known as Meiya Pico, describes itself as “the expert in digital forensics and cybersecurity in China”.[35]
Established in 1999, it “provides solutions and services for law-enforcement and government organizations all over the world” and has over 1,800 staff.
The company describes digital forensics as “the practice of identifying, extracting and considering evidence from digital media such as computer hard drives, mobile phone, and medium storage card.”[36]
In response to being added at the “Entity List”, the company wrote: “overseas sales revenue is small, mainly covers the countries along the “Belt & Road” and neighboring countries. The inclusion of the entity list will not have real impact on the company’s daily operations.”[37]
It also stressed that, “all operation and services comply with the laws and regulations of relevant countries and regions”.
On March 3 2020 the company released a new product that appears to be a thermal imaging device. The notice says that it is intended for “customers who needs to verify the fever visitors for health considerations”.[38]
Another recently released product is the 5G Intelligent Security Robot. It offers “body temperature scanning, temperature alarm, mask wearing identification, coronavirus prevention and publicity control.”[40]
Other new products include the Smart Thermal Imaging Device, Door-type Thermal Imaging Device, and Thermo Scanner.[40][41][42]
Uniview
Notable Tech:
- Thermal Screening Technologies
Uniview claims it is the world’s fourth largest video surveillance manufacturer in the world and active in 145 countries.[43]
The company, which was once owned by Bain Capital, private equity firm founded by Mitt Romney, [44] is now part-owned by Alibaba, the Chinese tech giant, and China Transinfo.[45]
They are partners with the American company Axxon, as well as the German company Bosch. Unlike the previous companies, they do not appear on the U.S. “Entity List” despite appearing to have been active in Xinjiang.
Uniview vice president Ximen Yan was asked in an interview in 2017 to identify the company’s largest application in China. His response: “Probably an IP-based public security solution in Xinjiang Province.”[46]
The Financial Times reported that a local policing expert and party cadre from the public security bureau in Xinjiang also said that Uniview were active in the region.[47]
The company lists projects with private businesses in Oman, Kenya, Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE, as well as local authorities in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, as some of their “Success Stories”.[48]
Now, the company is actively promoting a wide range of products related to Covid-19, including a Face Recognition Access Control Terminal with Digital Detection Module and an Integrated Wrist Temperature Measurement System.[49]
According to one tweet, they have supplied thermal screening technologies to over 600 universities in China.
CloudWalk
Notable Tech:
- Thermal Screening Technology
In 2018, the Gunagzhou-based startup CloudWalk made the headlines after announcing that it had reached an agreement with Zimbabwean authorities to provide the country with facial recognition cameras.[50]
According to an article published in Foreign Policy, the project “will enable Zimbabwe, a country with a bleak record on human rights, to replicate parts of the surveillance infrastructure that have made freedoms so limited in China. And by gaining access to a population with a racial mix far different from China’s, CloudWalk will be better able to train racial biases out of its facial recognition systems—a problem that has beleaguered facial recognition companies around the world and which could give China a vital edge.”[51]
The company, which has reportedly received state funding from its inception, is “helping to power the country’s massive surveillance network”, according to the South China Morning Post.[52]
CloudWalk was added to the “Entity List” on May 22 2020 because of its alleged role “in human rights violations and abuses committed in China’s campaign of repression, mass arbitrary detention, forced labor and high-technology surveillance against Uyghurs”.[53]
On the company’s website, it displays its thermal screening solution for schools which appears to have been deployed as lockdown measures have eased in the country.[54]
SensingTech & Quectel
Notable Tech:
- Thermal Screening Technology
- Surveillance Drones
Quectel is a partner of Huawei and is working with the company to develop 5G technologies.[55] SensingTech, which develops facial recognition technology, also lists the controversial Chinese company as a partner on its website.
Huawei is listed as SensingTech partner on its website.
Quectel says it has been “working with its customers to offer the latest innovations in IoT technologies to help contain the virus spreading, including delivery robots, reception robots, teleconsultation devices, drones, locators for quarantined people and much more.”[56]
The company has sales representatives in the UK, US, Israel and across Africa.[57]
Across the world, there has been a rapid increase in the use of drone technology to monitor lockdown and social distancing measures. In the UK, local police authorities used drones and ANPR technology to track visitors to the Peak District, a national park.[58] In the U.S., police in Westport, CT, introduced a so-called “pandemic drone” that also used thermal screening technology.[59]
SensingTech has been deploying its thermal recognition technology across China.[60] The firm’s website shows videos of its thermal screening technology in use in Beijing’s Chaoyang Joy City, a large shopping mall.
