Published:
Feb 9, 2023 06:35 GMT
The institution emphasizes that the cameras are not located in sensitive places, but despite this, it will proceed to uninstall them starting this February.
The Australian War Memorial in Canberra will dispense with Chinese-made surveillance cameras as a “precautionary” measure amid concerns the devices could be used for spying, he claimed this Wednesday the director of the museum, Kim Beazley, quoted by local media.
According to Beazley, there are a total of 200 cameras in the complex, of which 11 are manufactured by the Chinese company Hikvision. Five of these will be uninstalled this February, while the remaining six will be next year. The director stressed that Hikvision cameras are not placed inside the memorial, so they cannot record important historical exhibits.
“Walking through the war memorial, if it wasn’t properly protected, you could pick up useful material, but we protect it adequately,” Beazley said.
The situation was commented on by Senator James Paterson, head of cybersecurity. “The War Memorial is to be commended in that they recognize that they have these devices and they need to be removed,” he noted. “This is a fitting acknowledgment of the national security risk they pose,” he added.
The senator also stressed that Hikvision receives “help from the Chinese government, such as concessional loans and grants, and that sometimes allows them to outperform their Western competitors.”
