Posted by Ireland’s own goal
The Irish State pays for
China’s surveillance in Ireland
July 2025
Everyone in Ireland is surveilled using China’s Hikvision cameras.
Key insights:
- Almost every department of the Irish Government and local authorities have installed Chinese surveillance systems. The state body responsible for public buildings, the Office of Public Works (OPW), has designated China’s Hikvision as one of only three permitted security camera manufacturers that can be installed in public buildings.
- Hikvision’s company documents attest that it is controlled by the Chinese State. Hikvision cameras are connected to the Internet and may be relaying the data that they collect to China. Chinese law allows the State to access data held by Chinese companies.
- Irish public bodies, including courts and military, have installed these systems. Some Hikvision cameras are intended to recognise individual members of the public using facial recognition, and people’s emotional states (so-called “emotion recognition” and “behaviour analysis”).
- Hikvision devices are installed on Luas trams and at major train and bus stations (Heuston Station, Busáras, Cork bus station, etc.). It is hard to travel in Ireland without being tracked by China’s Hikvision surveillance system.
Who Watches the Watchers? 