'They Can Be Eyes, Ears For Beijing': Arunachal Congress MLA Writes To PM Modi To Ban Chinese CCTV Cameras

New Delhi: Citing a growing threat to the country`s national security, Arunachal Pradesh MLA Ninong Ering on Monday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging for a ban on the installation of Chinese Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras installed across India, expressing concern that these can be used as the "eyes and ears for Beijing". The lawmaker also advocated for a public awareness campaign educating people against using Chinese CCTVs in their homes.

Taking note of a media report, the Congress MLA, in his letter, stated that Chinese hackers have regularly attacked Indian institutions, including a thwarted attempt to jeopardize the seven major electricity load dispatch centers (ELDCs) near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh.

"In a detailed article titled `The China Snooping Menace` from one of the major media houses in the country, it was revealed that Chinese-made CCTVs currently in use across India can be used as `eyes and ears for Beijing`. Also, the threat to India`s national security becomes graver since the existing laws and awareness are inadequate to deal with this threat," the former union minister said in its letter. 

"Chinese hackers have regularly attacked Indian institutions, including a thwarted attempt to jeopardize the seven major electricity load dispatch centers (ELDCs) near the LAC to Ladakh. In connection with this, a US-based cyber security firm has revealed that Internet Protocol (IP) cameras, often used in Close Circuit Television (CCTV) networks and Internet-operated Digital Video Recording (DVR) devices were compromised in the operation by the Chinese hackers. An estimate by Centre showed that there were over 2 million CCTVs installed across India, with over 90 percent of them made by companies that are partially owned by the Chinese government," the letter read. 

Arunachal Pradesh MLA also highlighted that more than half of these Chinese CCTVs were installed in government offices in India.

"The Minister of state for communications and IT, Sanjay Dhotre, in Lok Sabha has even called the problem of such CCTVs as "vulnerabilities" that can transfer sensitive data to servers located abroad. Experts have also repeatedly pointed out that these CCTVs have a weak technical architecture that can easily be compromised and used for offensive purposes. These CCTVs can effectively become eyes and ears for anti-India forces. Chinese CCTV systems made by Hikvision and Prams Hikvision have even found their way to India`s Southern Naval Command, located in Kochi," the letter read. 

The Congress lawmaker also mentioned in his letter that he had earlier raised his concerns regarding another Chinese company Huawei. 

"I will like to respectfully remind you that in my letter to you on 2nd July 2020, I had written about how Iluawei was founded in 1987 by Ren Zhengfci, a former engineer in the Chinese army. Under uniquely opaque Chinese law and governance in practice, Huawei very likely will not be in a position to refuse the Chinese agencies against any demands for cooperation to collect information on India," he said in his letter.

"Hence, I will request that you immediately direct a ban on the installation of Chinese CCTV systems in Indian government offices. This can be followed by a launch of a public awareness campaign educating people against using Chinese CCTVs in their homes. The government can also consider the launch of a Swadeshi cloud-based server solution to safe keep the CCTV data wherever it is required. Given India`s prowess in the IT sector, we are well capable of dealing with this danger to our national security," the letter added.