Chinese CCTVs: Rahul alleges Modi govt putting Indians’ security at risk

Alleging that the Union government is putting the security of every Indian citizen at risk, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (April 4) questioned the installation of Chinese CCTV cameras inside government buildings despite the Centre recently banning their use and also having acknowledged that the one million Chinese cameras utilised in India posed risks regarding data transfer.

The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha also sounded an alarm that the banned Chinese apps are resurfacing under changed names.

What Rahul said

"The government recently banned the public use of Chinese CCTV cameras. Yet, Chinese cameras remain installed inside government buildings. Banned Chinese apps are resurfacing under changed names. Foreign AI platforms are processing sensitive data. And the government has absolutely nothing to say about any of this," Rahul said in a post on his Facebook account.

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He also accused the Narendra Modi government of risking the security of Indian citizens by continuing with its use of Chinese CCTV cameras.

"By attempting to cover up its own failures and concealing the reality of foreign surveillance, the Modi government is putting the security of every single citizen at risk," he said.

Rahul also raised questions about the security clearance of these CCTV cameras, while also urging the government to come clear on the names of platforms processing government data and the banned apps operating under changed names.

"Which countries did our cameras originate from? How many of them are certified from a security standpoint? Which foreign AI platforms are processing government data? Which banned apps continue to operate under altered names?" Rahul questioned.

Questions in Parliament

The former Congress president's remarks came after his questions to the government in Parliament didn't satisfy him.

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"I raised these questions in Parliament to the Ministry of Electronics and IT. The response offered plenty of verbiage, but provided no answers to the specific questions asked. The Ministry's response contained no figures, no answers—not even the name of a single platform," he said.

He said that, after five years, despite the government acknowledging that the one million Chinese cameras utilised by it posed risks regarding data transfer, the government has still failed to disclose whether the cameras monitoring us today are secure or not.

He termed it a "deliberate conspiracy" to keep India in the dark.