The cameras in question were banned by the US Federal Government because of hacking concerns. They were capturing highly sensitive data and relaying that information back to China, thus, they were outlawed. Pittsburgh is still using them.
Last week, I wrote an article about how you can find hidden cameras you suspect might be spying on you. But secret cameras and technology that can access information uninvited are not restricted to peeping toms. It is big business, and countries across the world are always scrambling to stay ahead of their rivals in relation to protecting sensitive information. That’s why the U.S. Congress banned two Chinese surveillance camera companies last year: because of the perceived threat that those cameras were sending sensitive information from the U.S back to China.
However, it seems that Pittsburgh didn’t get the memo. In Allegheny County, dozens of cameras made by Dahua, one of the companies banned from selling cameras to any U.S. state, have been discovered. Worse, the locations of some of the cameras could lead to a compromise of national security, according to a top hacking expert. It might seem fanciful, but when you learn that Dahua was originally banned after an investigation found it was taking information from a Fortune 500 company and relaying it back to China, it doesn’t seem so far-fetched, does it?
Spying and gathering sensitive information is almost as old as human life itself. Game of Thrones would have finished after one or two episodes if it wasn’t for the backstabbing and skullduggery and traitorous lies. But what confounds me is how there can be a such a disconnect between state and federal governments. These cameras were bought by the Allegheny County District Attorney. How did he make the purchase, the transaction, and get receipt of the goods if they’d been banned? That’s the more worrying thing in my eyes.
What are your thoughts?