Amsterdam is set to phase out the use of Chinese surveillance cameras over concerns regarding human rights and spying.
The local councillor, Alexander Scholtes, has stated that these cameras should gradually be removed from the city within the next five years. Currently, there are 1,280 Chinese cameras employed in the Dutch capital for various communal tasks. These include surveillance and monitoring traffic.
Last May, the city council passed a motion urging the mayor and aldermen to desist from using Chinese-made cameras. The worry centres on the possibility of these devices transmitting images back to their manufacturer and/or the Chinese government.
"There are also concerns about the potential involvement of Chinese camera manufacturers in human rights violations in China, specifically against the Uighurs," Scholtes wrote.
The city will not replace all Chinese cameras immediately due to cost. Instead, the council wishes to impose new contractual terms and concession criteria regarding human rights in the procurement of camera systems.
