US sanctions Chinese surveillance-systems maker Tiandy Technologies

The U.S. Department of Commerce has placed the Chinese surveillance-systems manufacturer Tiandy Technologies on the blacklist for involvement in repression against Uyghurs. NBC reported this.

\n\n

According to the department, the company marketed its facial-recognition software and smart interrogation tables, while using technologies developed in the United States, the department said.

\n\n

In addition, the company supplied its products to Iran. Authorities say this enabled the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to gain access to American technologies, which is prohibited under U.S. sanctions.

\n\n

Human rights advocates and lawmakers have warned that Iranian authorities could use Tiandy’s video surveillance to suppress protests against the regime.

\n\n

One of Tiandy’s partners, Intel, has already ceased doing business with it. The company name had disappeared from the site even before the sanctions were announced.

\n\n

An Intel spokesperson, Penny Bruce, said the tech giant “ceased doing business with Tiandy after an internal review.”

\n\n

Senator Marco Rubio, who had previously urged sanctions against the firm, called the department’s move “the right move.” However, he urged additional measures.

\n\n

“The Communist Party of China arms technology companies to achieve its geopolitical objectives. The Department of Commerce should more actively use all available tools to identify and punish wrongdoers,” he said.

\n\n

Tiandy is among the leading surveillance-camera companies in China and globally. In 2021, the company’s revenue from sales amounted to more than $800 million. The firm operates in more than 60 countries.

\n\n

Representatives of Tiandy Technologies did not comment on the situation.

\n\n

In December 2022, it emerged that Hikvision advertised facial-recognition technologies to European clients despite sanctions.

\n\n

In May 2021, a programmer-engineer from the PRC told о тестировании на уйгурах системы идентификации эмоций в полицейских участках Синьцзяна.

\n\n

Подписывайтесь на новости ForkLog в Telegram: ForkLog AI — все новости из мира ИИ!