Australia is removing a popular Chinese security camera brand Hikvision from government and enterprise use. But Hikvision is back under the name EZVIZ.
EZVIZ is 100% owned by Hikvision and focuses on getting into the consumer and small business space.
The Australian National Law Review reports the Federal Government will remove all Hikvision cameras from all Government, Military, Police, Health and Education use. The State Governments should follow suit.
This follows the US Blacklisting of EZVIZ/Hikvision in October 2019. It alleges that the cameras form a spying network accessible by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). On 13 August 2020, it formally banned EZVIZ/Hikvision and called on it to stop using facial and biometric recognition of its citizens.
BTW – Hikvision and Dahua (another banned security brand) were widely sold in Australia. We understand that past resellers have dumped the brand, and the sole sales distributor is closely connected to Hikvision.
Here is what we know about EZVIZ
We reported on EZVIZ and Hikvision ownership in October 2018.
EZVIZ is a 100% subsidiary of Hikvision.
EZVIZ (Est. 2013) describes itself as a Californian-based smart home security company. It provides features like facial recognition to identify who’s at your door.
EZVIZ has no retail bricks and mortar presence in Australia selling via Amazon.com US or the EZVIZ website. Incidentally, its website re-directs to the US website to make it look kosher.
EZVIZ is a Chinese-state-owned company heavily marked as a ‘US product’ via social media. It employs PR companies across the globe to present its US-centric message issuing releases headed “California …”
Its privacy policy is way too far-reaching for an IoT product.
It is far more about data harvesting than we consider necessary for an IoT device. We would have to make it clear in any reviews that Australian’s should not agree to it. Certainly, in the present climate, Australian’s should not agree to any security footage in a China-based cloud.
Whitewashed image is just wrong says CNET
CNET said (paraphrased)
“EZVIZ’s presence at CES gives them a global platform and an opportunity to present themselves as a friendly, tech-savvy organisation. It lends them an air of legitimacy right after the US government sanctioned them.”
Beware – a lot of Chinese companies are now US-washing to get over any potential backlash against trade sanctions.
GadgetGuy’s take – Fact: EZVIZ is Hikvision
A tsunami of Chinese brands have recently asked us to review their products. That is fine as China makes the lion’s share of IT and IoT.
These include EZVIZ, EUFY, Dahua, Anker, Smart, Reolink, InOmega, StarCam, Zosi, Skyhawk and many products sold by merchants on Amazon, Kogan, Dick Smith, eBay to name but a few. The problem is that many of these OEMs white label for other brands.
We ask a few simple questions before accepting a review invitation
- Does it require a sign-on account?
- What personally identifiable information (PII) does it harvest?
- Does it use PII to advertise either itself or its ‘business partners’ to you?
- What is the location of its cloud storage?
- Will you provide firmware and security updates?
- Where is the privacy policy URL?
- What retailers (physical or online) does it have here (we do not consider Amazon.com US as a local retailer)
- How does it support/warrant products sold here?
- Does it offer ACL compliant warranty including covering freight both ways if the goods require repair or return?
Upon receiving appropriate answers, we will happily review the item. So far in the IoT space, that is 100% zero.
Without fail things like security cameras, routers, IoT devices (especially things that can access the home network), health devices, and so much more want intimate access to PII. It is even worse when you can sign in via Facebook, Google, WeChat etc. This is all far more than is necessary for the operation of the device.
These brands are nothing more than potential sell-and-forget, spy back doors. Please don’t ask us why the CCP wants your data.
Apart from Arlo, Google Nest, Ring (Amazon), Swann and Uniden the majority store user data on Chinese servers.
In the camera space, Arlo leads with its privacy as a pledge.
Intriguing insight into the nefarious deeds of PRC. Sometimes it is very difficult to discover where products are made and you have opened my eyes to how insidious the Chynah virus is spreading into our homes. I would like to ask something of you: is it possible a list is compiled showing the Chynah made IT/IoT technologies that may impinge on our privacy. I feel if the toilet paper is made in Chynah, who gives a rats but I confess I am trying to make an informed decision on all and every item I buy. It should be my decision!
If you did indeed compile a list, you would give your readers an opportunity to make informed decisions on what they buy. You certainly influence my decisions with your reviews, I would like more!
I would love to help but 99.9% of IoT and IT is made there so its more about what is not. Samsung and LG are safe bets. Most Taiwanese companies have Chinese factories. Arlo is safe for security cameras.
And it is more about privacy policies.
A few weeks ago, someone asked me how the commonly available video surveillance hardware be secure against an external hacking and stealth remote monitoring if most of the network connected cameras and video recorders are being shipped out of Asia. The question has already suggested an opinion. I had no desire to argue or prove anything. Most, if not all, popular toy and serious camera brands shipped from there too, virtually no exception.
Is security of the security video surveillance systems compromised? It depends on vendor but in the end, it is how an organisation develop and apply its physical and information security policies. The modern and ongoing hype of excluding main video surveillance security makers is still alive. A political scoring or competitor games? Can’t be sure, could be both! Despite, there are still secure solutions that can be successful implemented using ‘banned’ vendors hardware (some already penetrated 60-70% of the market) if done by a knowledgeable bunch.
I was almost about to buy a – “6MP 8CH Hikvision CCTV Kit: 8 x BLACK Outdoor Turret Cameras + 8CH NVR”
But now am having 2nd thoughts. Do you have another option instead of Hikvision or Duhua for home security cameras?
Something wired and reliable and that will not cost the world?
Cause security or eyes for the local thief is one thing, but keeping safe from the evil PRC is another. I am not against “everything” Chinese as I do believe they are a necessary evil at times. But dont want them snooping around in my house, if you know what I mean.
Or for that matter some hacker playing in my back yard, just cause the security camera software/firmware is open to attack.
Would much appreciate your though/advice on this.
Hello there!
I just wanted to drop a quick comment and share my thoughts on your recent blog post about the banned Hikvision cameras that have surfaced in Australia under the EZVIZ brand. As someone who is concerned about home security and the use of surveillance cameras, I found your article to be really informative and eye-opening.
It’s concerning to hear that banned Hikvision cameras are being sold in Australia under a different brand name. Your post did a great job of explaining how this could happen and the potential risks that come with using these cameras, such as the possibility of unauthorized access to your footage or the use of the cameras for malicious purposes.
What I appreciated most about your post was how you provided readers with some useful tips on how to identify banned Hikvision cameras, such as checking the model number and doing a quick online search to see if the camera has been banned in other countries. This is really helpful information for anyone who is considering purchasing a surveillance system and wants to ensure that they are getting a high-quality, safe product.
Overall, I think your post is a great reminder of the importance of being vigilant when it comes to home security and the use of surveillance cameras. Thanks for sharing your expertise and helping to educate readers about this important issue!