Security News > 2023 > June > UK government to set deadline for removal of Chinese surveillance cams

The UK government will set a deadline for removing made-in-China surveillance cameras from "Sensitive sites."

News of the not-very-imminent deadline came with on Tuesday with the publication of proposed amendments [PDF] to the Procurement Bill - legislation that will reform many aspects of the UK government's practices for buying stuff.

The proposed amendments include a clause requiring "Removal from the procurement supply chain of physical surveillance equipment produced by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of the People's Republic of China." Within six months of the bill being passed - which is on the cards to happen next week - the UK Secretary of State is required to inform Parliament of a timeline for removal of the offending kit.

None of which means UK government maintenance workers need to start figuring out if Chinese cameras were affixed with slotted or Philips head screws - not exactly, not yet - but does mean the November 2022 plan to bin Chinese cameras is being acted upon.

Other elements of the bill likely to keep government techies busy include publication of government procurement data and "a new exclusions framework that will make it easier to exclude suppliers who have underperformed on other contracts."

The surveillance tech removal program is likely to result in removal of kit from Chinese state-owned CCTV manufacturers like Hikvision and Dahua.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/06/08/uk_government_china_cam_removal/