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A July report by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has highlighted the ongoing use of Chinese-manufactured Hikvision surveillance cameras across numerous public institutions in Ireland, despite growing concerns over their security implications.
According to the ICCL’s findings, Hikvision devices remain active in hospitals, local councils, universities, and even critical emergency response facilities. This widespread deployment persists despite bans on the technology in several allied countries, including the US, UK, and Australia, due to national security and cybersecurity concerns.
Among the institutions using the cameras are major healthcare providers. Beaumont Hospital alone has confirmed the use of over 400 Hikvision units, while other facilities also rely on the brand for the majority of their surveillance infrastructure. The National Maternity Hospital and the National Children’s Hospital have also implemented these systems.
In the Defense sector, Ireland’s Department of Defense reportedly has 15 Hikvision cameras. In the area of higher education, all major universities have installed Hikvision cameras. University College Cork alone has installed at least 135 devices. Hikivision cameras are also installed in public spaces, such as train, tram and bus stations, according to the report.
The core issue stems from Hikvision’s ownership structure and regulatory environment. As a partially state-owned Chinese firm, the company is subject to China’s National Intelligence Law, which obliges organizations to cooperate with government intelligence services if required. Additionally, according to the report, Lithuania’s National Cyber Security Centre has reported that Hikvision cameras receive software updates from servers located in China and Russia, and that the company’s mobile app transmits sensitive user data — including IMSI and IMEI identifiers — back to Chinese servers.
The ICCL is now urging Irish authorities to remove all Hikvision surveillance systems from public sites, citing potential threats to both national security and data privacy. The ongoing use of these devices, particularly in sensitive environments such as hospitals and emergency services, continues to raise questions about procurement practices and risk management across public-sector infrastructure.
