Concerns around espionage stem from China’s dominance—supplying around 30 per cent of India’s CCTV market and 80 per cent of its components
India has introduced sweeping new regulations requiring all internet-connected CCTV cameras—whether imported or domestically produced—to undergo rigorous testing of hardware, software and source code by government labs. The deadline, which took effect on 9 April 2025, reflects growing anxiety about covert surveillance via Chinese-made infrastructure .
Under the rules, manufacturers including China’s Hikvision, Dahua and Xiaomi, South Korea’s Hanwha, and the US firm Motorola Solutions must submit every internet-capable camera for certification before sales in India can proceed . Officials say the policy is not aimed at any specific country, but is essential in safeguarding national security.
Concerns around espionage stem from China’s dominance—supplying around 30 per cent of India’s CCTV market and 80 per cent of its components—as well as the risk of video data being siphoned off to servers abroad . Gulshan Rai, former chief of India’s cybersecurity agency, summarised the fear: “There’s always an espionage risk … Anyone can operate and control internet-connected CCTV cameras sitting in an adverse location. They need to be robust and secure.”
Firms Push Back, Fear Disruption
But the new mandate has sparked alarm among global tech firms. Industry executives from 17 companies, including Bosch, Honeywell and Motorola, met Indian IT ministry officials on 3 April requesting a delay, citing delays in certifications, insufficient testing infrastructure, and concerns over excessive source‑code scrutiny—requests that were firmly rebuffed by regulators .
Hanwha’s South Asia director warned that “millions of dollars will be lost” to delays, while camera vendors report ongoing operational difficulties and warnings of halted infrastructure projects . As of 28 May, only 35 of the 342 applications filed had been approved—mostly domestic models—with just a single foreign camera cleared .
Retail results are already reflecting these pressures. Sagar Sharma, a retailer in Delhi’s Nehru Place electronics market, reported a 50% drop in CCTV camera sales between April and May due to certification bottlenecks.
India’s surveillance camera market—valued at US$3.5 billion in 2024—is predicted to double to $7 billion by 2030 . But with testing bottlenecks and supply-chain upheaval, the sector confronts uncertainty.
Security Over Convenience
India’s broader drive to decouple from Chinese technology accelerated after the 2020 border clashes and bans on platforms like TikTok. The new measures on CCTV gear echo similar moves in the US, UK and Australia, where Chinese-made surveillance hardware has also been restricted on national-security grounds
Regulators require devices to offer tamper‑proof enclosures, malware detection and secure encryption, and allow for factory audits—even overseas—to root out hidden vulnerabilities . While these measures may impose immediate costs, officials insist the long-term imperative is clear: secure the devices that see and record in both public and private spaces.
In rejecting calls to delay implementation, the government said the policy “addresses a genuine security issue” and must not be compromised (reuters.com). Whether this shift marks a turning point in global trust around Chinese surveillance technology remains to be seen—but for now, India appears determined to err on the side of caution.
