Chinese embassy in Portugal removes CCTV camera after residents' concerns

Surveillance cameras installed at the Chinese embassy in Portugal’s capital Lisbon were removed or repositioned on Thursday (Jan 19) after concerns of a “blatant violation of privacy” were raised by residents.

Three large 360-degrees surveillance cameras were installed around the consular section two months ago, a resident who wished to remain anonymous told Reuters in December, saying they were concerned they might be able to film apartment buildings and public roads.

Five other residents Reuters spoke to this month also said they were concerned the cameras might be able to film apartment buildings.

Portugal’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday it had asked relevant authorities to evaluate whether the surveillance cameras complied with the rules. Portuguese law states surveillance cameras cannot point at properties or public roads and must “only capture what is strictly necessary to cover accesses to the property”.

Portugal’s National Data Protection Commission (CNPD) said on Dec 27 it would reach out to the embassy to clarify the situation.

On Thursday, soon after Reuters reported the complaints, one camera was removed and the other two were no longer facing outside the embassy.

It was not immediately clear whether the move was linked to the complaints or any intervention by Portuguese authorities.

The embassy did not reply to requests for comment. The Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The CNPD did not immediately reply to a request for comment after the cameras were removed or repositioned.

Before the change, the cameras had been installed on metal poles that extended over the embassy walls.

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The resident who Reuters spoke to in December, who lives across the road from the embassy’s consular section, described the situation as a “blatant violation of privacy”.

China has one of the world’s most sophisticated surveillance systems, and some Chinese embassies have faced criticism for enforcing excessive monitoring and protective measures abroad.

The brand of the cameras used at the consular premises was Hikvision, a partly state-owned Chinese firm.

The British government told its departments in November to stop installing Hikvision or other Chinese-linked surveillance cameras at sensitive buildings, citing security risks.

“The installation of surveillance cameras obeys legally established rules, which any entity must, naturally, scrupulously comply with,” the Portuguese foreign ministry said.