Select Committee Asks FBI to Stop Certifying CCP Surveillance Tech
WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Between the U.S. and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sent a letter urging FBI Director Kash Patel to end the agency's ongoing certification of products from Chinese military-linked companies that could be used to spy on Americans or strengthen the People's Republic of China (PRC)'s Orwellian surveillance state. The Chairman and Ranking Member stand ready to work with the FBI to collaboratively address these concerns.
The FBI currently certifies biometric devices from 32 Chinese companies, including Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co., Ltd., more commonly known as Hikvision.
"Including these products on the Certified Products List grants these companies the FBI’s seal of approval, which they can leverage to market their products as FBI-approved to customers in the U.S. government, elsewhere in the United States, and around the globe," write Chairman Moolenaar and Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi in the letter. "This sends a dangerous signal to potential buyers that these companies’ products are trustworthy and heightens the risk that these products will be procured by U.S. government entities or contractors despite the security risks. It also sends conflicting messages about U.S. policy toward companies with ties to the PRC’s military-industrial complex."
The letter also lists how Hikvision is fundamentally at odds with the U.S. government's national security priorities:
- In 2019, the Department of Commerce placed Hikvision on the Entity List because it is "implicated in human rights violations and abuses" in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
- Hikvision is prohibited from receiving federal contracts under Section 889 of the FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act because it produces video surveillance equipment considered a national security risk.
- Hikvision was designated in 2021 under Executive Order 13959 as a company linked to China’s military-industrial complex.
This letter comes as a part of the Select Committee's larger effort to combat Chinese military-linked tech and safeguard American data.
"We are ready to work with the FBI to ensure that our nation’s technological infrastructure remains secure from potential foreign threats," the letter concludes.
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