The Ban – What is it? Quite simply, it is a ban of Chinese companies into the U.S. that present a clear threat to our, and your, security. Some of those Chinese companies are ones that service the CCTV industry; Huawei, HiSilicon (parent company is Huawei), Hikvision and Dahua. They are on the BANNED list for a variety of reasons (supported links below); HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS and “Fair Trade” violations.
Ever wonder why China stopped specifying the components used in their CCTV Products? They merely state that the sensor is “CMOS”. Certified Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) is a type of technology, rather than a specific component specification – similar to the following scenario. You buy a laptop with Intel inside. You expect an Intel i7, since you are paying the i7 price, but the manufacturer won’t say what version of Intel they are supplying. They merely state that it is a CPU. It could be an Intel i3, and in the case of Chinese manufacturing you’re probably getting a Chinese Government owned copy of an Intel… welcome to “CMOS”. A fake Rolex is not the only knock-off product that China produces – it’s also in your IP cameras and NVRs. It may look the same but take a closer look under the hood… CMOS.
We estimate that nearly 90% of the Chinese CCTV industry is using Huawei/HiSilicon and/or subsidiaries of these companies. All of which answer to the strict self-serving communist government self-proclaimed to be the “People’s Republic of China.” Republics belong to the people whom are empowered to vote. Xi Jinpeng changed the law to remove term limits. Again, China's words are merely lip-service, with very little relationship to their true definition.
The US President has signed into law the 2019 NDAA which specifically and explicitly bans Dahua and Hikvision products.
The entire house bill is 1,322 pages long, the above image is the highlight involving our industry. You can find the entire bill here.
The insecurities and vulnerabilities of their devices, as well as their direct link to the Chinese Government, are driving factors behind this ban. Many of you may recall that back in September of 2016 the Mirai Botnet broke world records performing DDoS attacks. This was the last red flag for Gen IV Technology; we issued a stop-ship on all Dahua products (did anyone else?), and shortly thereafter stopped carrying Dahua altogether due to ethical and the "definition of security" differences.
Following the Federal Government Ban Vermont and Suffolk, North Virginia have followed suit. We believe this is just the beginning of a ban-wave to spread across the U.S.
Other articles of interest;
US Blacklists eight Chinese Companies including Hikvision and Dahua
IPVM reports on the ban becoming Law
SDM Reports on Dahua and Hikvision being banned from USA Government projects.
ONVIF Suspends Dahua and Hikvision!
ONVIF's Statement suspending Dahua, Hikvision, and their affiliates.
Thousands Of Banned Chinese Surveillance Cameras Are Watching Over America - Forbes
Bloomberg reports that banned Chinese Security Equipment is almost impossible to remove. This is an opportunity for every integrator of Flux Security products!
Germany freezes 5G deals pending Huawei(Owners of HiSilicon) investigation.