Chinese-made cameras 'spy' on Coronation crowds trends now
MPs warned of a potential Coronation security threat today after it emerged Chinese-made CCTV cameras banned in government departments will be 'spying' on the crowds.
Thirty-eight of the devices by Hikvision, which has worked closely with China's military, have been specially erected along the parade route stretching from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square.
The cameras can capture 'up to five faces at the same time' and offer 'human and vehicle targets classification based on deep learning,' according to the manufacturer's brochure.
It prompted fears information harvested from the thousands flocking to watch the Coronation parade in central London on Saturday will be passed back to Beijing.
Hikvision is banned by the US Government from all federal agencies, and Oliver Dowden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, last November ordered all British ministries to remove Hikvision cameras because of security concerns.
Thirty-eight of the devices by Hikvision, which has worked closely with China 's military, have been specially erected along the parade route stretching from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square (file photo)
The Commons foreign affairs committee has also previously called for the prohibition of equipment manufactured by Hikvision and other companies said to have had their cameras deployed in internment camps in China's Xinjiang province.
The cameras at the Buckingham Gate entrance to St James's Park
Sir Iain Duncan Smith, former Tory leader and co-chairman of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said: 'Nothing surprises me any more about the incompetence of the authorities when it comes to China.
'The reality is the security services have told us that these cameras are a threat.'
Former British military intelligence officer, Colonel Philip Ingram, said: 'Using them for such a prestigious and important event flies in the face of every bit of security advice that has been given in recent months.
'There are many
