Chinese surveillance cameras to be removed from University of Copenhagen after criticism

Students and staff at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) may, potentially, be being closely observed by the Chinese government. The university is using surveillance cameras from the Chinese companies Hikvision and Dahua.

Both companies are partially owned by the Chinese state, and under Chinese law, they can be required to hand over data to the Chinese authorities.

This is reported by the online media outlet KøbenhavnLIV.

The cameras, which have been installed at the Faculty of Humanities on the university’s South Campus, have triggered widespread criticism.

The Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) has previously expressed concerns about »specific vulnerabilities« associated with surveillance equipment from Hikvision, and in the United States, the use of these products by government agencies has been banned since 2018.

Experts warn of data misuse

KøbenhavnLIV has spoken to several experts who believe that the use of Chinese cameras poses a serious risk.

Sofie Freja Christensen, an information security expert at the Danish Society of Engineers (IDA), points out that China is known for data harvesting, and that it is not difficult for unauthorised parties to gain remote access to the cameras.

Jesper Helbrandt, a partner at the Danish company Institut for Cyber Risk argues that universities and research institutions are, in themselves, a form of critical infrastructure, which makes it especially problematic to use technology from companies with close ties to the Chinese state.

Concerns about data misuse and research espionage led the Danish government last month to tighten regulations on Danish universities’ collaborations with China.

University Post has also previously reported on the complex dilemmas of working with Chinese universities, many of which play a key role in various research fields.

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Cameras to be replaced for technological reasons

Despite the criticism, the University of Copenhagen rejects the notion that the cameras pose a real security risk.

»The cameras in question are placed in common areas that are fully accessible to the public. We are, therefore, far removed from the research conducted on South Campus,« writes Karen Dilling, Deputy Director for Campus Service, in a response to KøbenhavnLIV.

She also states that the cameras operate on a closed network protected by a firewall, making them impervious to external attacks.

UCPH has decided to replace the Chinese cameras nevertheless, however. For reasons not security-related but technological: According to the university, the cameras are becoming outdated and will be replaced with non-Chinese alternatives.

University Post has attempted to secure an interview with UCPH management on the matter, but this has not been possible. Instead, the university has provided the same written response that was sent to KøbenhavnLIV.

Several political parties, in light of these revelations, intend to raise the issue with Minister for Resilience and Preparedness, Torsten Schack Pedersen (Liberal Party).