Makes surveillance cameras that are used by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Hangzhou Hik-Vision Digital Technology Co Ltd (Hikvision), headquartered in Hangzhou, China, manufactures CCTV and video cameras, surveillance software, deep learning/AI systems, robotic vision technology, and other products. Through its Israeli distributor, HVI Security Solutions, Hikvision sells surveillance cameras to the Israeli military, police, and security agencies.
In occupied East Jerusalem, Amnesty International documented dozens of Hikvision cameras installed on surveillance towers and military infrastructure in residential areas as of 2023. Many of these cameras are equipped with facial and vehicle recognition capabilities. Given their installation in and around the Old City of Jerusalem, the cameras are likely part of Mabat 2000, the surveillance system that covers the entire Old City and subjects Palestinians living there to constant surveillance. The company's response to Amnesty International report did not directly address these concerns.
In addition, Hikvision cameras are used by the Israel Police in its nationwide mass vehicle surveillance system. This project, which started in 2012 under the name Hawk/Eagle Eye (Ein Ha-Netz in Hebrew), comprises a network of License Plate Reader (LPR) cameras monitoring highways, roads, and streets across Israel, including in the occupied West Bank. By the end of 2024, the network included 6,641 cameras, 2,500 of which deployed in Jerusalem, with plans to add 5,000 more. Most of the cameras in the network are reportedly made by Chinese companies Dahua and Hikvision.
Given its use by Chinese authorities in its mass surveillance of its Uyghur population, multiple countries have imposed bans or restrictions on the use of Hikvision cameras, including Australia, Canada, India, The United Kingdom, and The United States.