The smart lamppost incident in Kwun Tong, Hong Kong in 2019 aroused concern about the privacy issues of closed-circuit television. Since the implementation of the "Hong Kong National Security Law", public doubts have gradually decreased. Recently, Deputy Secretary for Administration Cheuk Wing-hing revealed for the first time in a RTHK program called Crime Prevention that 2,000 CCTVs will be installed this year. Some human rights monitors have warned that the Hong Kong police should be wary of using CCTVs to monitor politicians. Industry insiders pointed out to this station that the current "high-end" 4K CCTVs have strong zoom capabilities and can shoot from long distances. If the police do not disclose the location of the installation, the public will have no privacy at all.
Deputy Secretary for Administration Cheuk Wing-hing said in an interview with RTHK's program "Policy Stocktaking" that in order to prevent crime, the authorities will install 2,000 closed-circuit televisions throughout Hong Kong this year, with 600 installed in the middle of the year. As for their installation locations, they are mainly In places where there is a high flow of people and where there are risks assessed by the police, the location will be changed when necessary.
This station inquired from the Information Department whether the CCTV mentioned by Zhuo Yongxing has the function of facial recognition and the installation location. There was no reply before the deadline. Pro-China TV station "TVB" interviewed Yau Tsim Mong District Councilor Wong Shu-ming. She pointed out that robberies have occurred one after another in the district in recent years and agreed that adding CCTV can prevent crimes.
Japanese media: 570 million CCTVs in mainland China
Although the Hong Kong government's measure to install CCTV has been supported by district councilors, human rights organizations have expressed concerns. According to last year's "Sankei Shimbun" report , as of 2021, there are 570 million closed-circuit televisions installed in China's large-scale surveillance systems, which can perform 3 billion inspections per second. He also pointed out that with the current use of social media and electronic payment systems, mainland China can easily monitor every citizen.
Poon Jiawei, a former China researcher at Amnesty International, pointed out that given the increasing integration between Hong Kong and mainland China, it cannot be ruled out that the Hong Kong police will add CCTV to monitor political figures. For example, he said that the Hong Kong police may install closed-circuit cameras for long-term surveillance near the residences of the "47 people involved in the case".
Pan Jiawei said: "The (mainland) human rights activists I know also noticed that there are closed-circuit televisions at the street entrances and corners where they live. "
Other countries, such as Japan and the United States, also use closed-circuit television to monitor social activists. According to "Japan Newsweek" , since 2009, the Criminal Investigation Department of the Metropolitan Police Department has opened a "Search Support Analysis Center" to specifically process and analyze CCTV data. In 2014, many county-level police stations have launched facial recognition functions. of closed circuit television. In 2010, a data leak from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and Public Security Department revealed that the police used closed-circuit television to monitor human rights monitors, leftists, and Muslims.
Poon Ka-wai pointed out that, as Zhuo Yingxing said, foreign police have installed closed-circuit televisions to prevent crimes, but compared with democratic countries, Hong Kong's current laws cannot protect the privacy of citizens.
Pan Jiawei said: "You now have the opportunity to use the court in the UK, the United States or even Japan. You said that you should find a lawyer to sue you (the government), but it is not possible to monitor me like this. You may still have this possibility, but you are not Hong Kong is doing what mainland China does, and it is impossible for you to report it to me and sue you for spying on me like this. I have doubts that you can do this in Hong Kong."
Industry: CCTV technology has advanced rapidly
Mr. Chen, who has been working as a CCTV supplier for many years, revealed to this station that the technology of civilian CCTV has advanced rapidly. He pointed out as an example that the CCTV on the market can zoom 120 times, and the lens can capture situations 500 meters away, including shooting from Ocean Park. to the situation inside a residential house in Sham Wan. Mr. Chen pointed out that "high-end" 4K CCTV has a facial recognition function that can read suspicious people. This function can indeed prevent crimes in mainland China.
Mr. Chen said: "You can capture pictures from the camera. As long as their sever or video recorder has a record of this person, they can 'catch you' (arrest you), and 'high-end' CCTV can zoom and move. If you are far away, how will you know that you have installed it?"
According to Mr. Chen's experience in installing CCTV systems for property management companies, after installation, the security company must be reminded to post a "24-hour CCTV installation" sign next to the CCTV to protect the privacy of residents. Mr. Chan lamented that the official installation of "high-end" 4K CCTVs has put citizens' privacy into doubt. However, since the Kwun Tong smart lamppost incident in 2019, there has been no discussion in society about the privacy issues caused by CCTVs.
The updated closed-circuit system in Mong Kok in 2020 caused controversy
In 2020, on the grounds of crime prevention, the Home Affairs Department spent NT$1.5 million to update the CCTV system in Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Mong Kok, including upgrading the image resolution from 720P to 4K, and expanding the use of images for the police to use in any criminal cases. The then Mong Kok South District Councilor Zhu Jiangwei objected, saying that installing 4K CCTV would sacrifice residents’ privacy.
According to anti-amendment cases, the police have repeatedly used CCTV in Mong Kok to prosecute demonstrators. On February 29, 2020, there was a gathering to commemorate the 831 incident in Prince Edward Station. The police used the CCTV footage from 40 G to 40 Shan Tung Street, Mong Kok to charge a man and a woman with illegal assembly. In the end, the two were convicted.
Pakistan's decision to recall its ambassador from Iran, expel the Iranian ambassador
The Pakistani Foreign Office says that Pakistan has decided to recall the Pakistani ambassador posted in Iran and expel the Iranian ambassador on Wednesday.
Pakistan has on Wednesday decided to recall the Pakistani ambassador posted in Iran while the Iranian ambassador posted in Pakistan who is currently in Iran has been decided to prevent them from entering Pakistan for the time being.
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Spokesperson of Pakistan's Foreign Office, while holding a news conference in Islamabad, said that last night's unprovoked and open violation of Pakistan's sovereignty by Iran is against international law and the objectives and principles of the United Nations Charter. There is a violation. This illegal practice is completely unacceptable and has no justification. Pakistan reserves the right to respond to this illegal move. The responsibility for the results will fall entirely on Iran.
Spokesperson of Pakistani Foreign Office Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that 'We have conveyed this message to the Iranian government. We have also informed them that Pakistan has decided to recall its ambassador from Iran and the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan who is currently on a visit to Iran may not return at present.
"We have also decided to suspend all high-level visits that were ongoing or scheduled between Pakistan and Iran in the coming days."
Earlier, Pakistan's Foreign Office confirmed late on Tuesday that Iran had violated its airspace, resulting in the death of two children and injuries to three others.
The Foreign Office in Islamabad had strongly condemned Iran's "unprovoked violation" of Pakistan's airspace, saying the violation of Pakistan's sovereignty was "unacceptable" and could have "serious consequences".
Iran's official media reported on Tuesday that Iran targeted two bases of Baloch militant group Jaish-ul-Adl in Pakistan with missiles.
According to Reuters, this group had increased attacks on security forces in Iranian areas bordering Pakistan.
The organization called Jaish al-Adl, banned by the United States, has said in a statement that several houses of the "Mujahideen" of the organization were targeted by six drones where children and women were living.
The organization said that two houses were destroyed in these attacks where the resident families including children were among the dead and injured.
It was a criminal attack in which two small children were martyred while two women and a young girl were seriously injured, the statement said.
In which area of Balochistan did the attacks take place?
The place of attack was Kalk sub-tehsil of Koh Sabz border area of Panjgur district.
According to Aamir Bajoy, a journalist of the Independent in Khuzdar, the area targeted by the attack is considered a peaceful region, important for trade. It is about 40 to 50 km from Chidgi, the main trading point of the border.
There are reports that a mosque was also damaged in the blast. According to local residents, a ship arrived, through which the explosion was carried out.
The area is rocky and plain, where people depend on border trade for lack of other sources of income. The deceased have been identified as Umira and Salman, while the injured include Asma, Ruqiya, Ayesha and Maryam.