Hikvision Cameras Installed In UK School Bathroom

JH
John Honovich
Nov 03, 2017
IPVM

UK news has been heavily covering a Hikvision camera installation at a UK school's bathroom. Many are not happy:

Here are two examples of Hikvision cameras installed:

This is atypical but Hikvision likes to market such nonmainstream use, such as their recent blog posts on:

That noted, in this example, it is probably not the type of publicity that neither the Hikvision dealer nor Hikvision wants.

Hat tip to Ahmet Deveci of CCTVAware, a top UK Hikvision dealer and LinkedIn promoter, who noticed and shared this on LinkedIn.

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U
Undisclosed #1
Nov 03, 2017
IPVMU Certified

That noted, in this example, it is probably not the type of publicity that neither the Hikvision dealer nor Hikvision wants.

Related: Las Vegas Mass Murder Used Video Surveillance - Fair To Cite Manufacturer Used?

Also, someone made some bad jokes here: UK School Installs Cameras In Student Bathrooms

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JH
John Honovich
Nov 03, 2017
IPVM

someone made some bad jokes

Are you including yourself? :)

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Chris Bentley
Nov 03, 2017
Cop Security

I don't think IPVM is doing its self any favours by posting this kind of thing.

Trying to use this as a bad mark against HIK is almost childish in my opinion.

I do wonder if you would have published this is it had been some other non-Chinese brand, or would you have used the headline

“AXIS Cameras Installed In UK School Bathroom”

The fact it’s a HIK Camera has no bearing on the story, the real story is should they have been fitted in the first place, not the fact they are HIK.

I joined IPVM for informed discussions and real information not silly digs at Chinese manufactures like this.

If there is a real issue then it should be published, but recently it seems the excuses for publishing negative stories is getting a little thin in some cases.

If this gets worse I will not be renewing my subscription.

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JH
John Honovich
Nov 03, 2017
IPVM

Trying to use this as a bad mark against HIK is almost childish in my opinion.

The title is literally a matter of fact - "Hikvision Cameras Installed In UK School Bathroom". If I wanted to make it a 'bad mark', there are far more negative titles that could be used.

I do wonder if you would have published this is it had been some other non-Chinese brand

Happy to do so. Find me Axis or Dahua cameras installed in a bathroom and we will post on it. We'll certainly keep looking as well.

The fact it’s a HIK Camera has no bearing on the story, the real story is should they have been fitted in the first place, not the fact they are HIK.

That's certainly a matter of opinion, though I would argue that Hikvision's aggressive low prices and mass marketing have helped drive less qualified and scrupulous dealers to install cameras.

Thanks for your feedback, Chris!

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Tony Darland
Nov 03, 2017
IPVMU Certified

Not to mention the security/hacking issues given the sensitive location.

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Chris Bentley
Nov 03, 2017
Cop Security

Well if I am honest this is the kind of reply I was expecting and reinforces my view that your are moving away from balanced discussion and in so doing are devaluing IPVM.

I find it laughable that you insinuate its actually HIK's fault because they are low cost. 

To be honest I am very disappointed, I expected better.

In the past you have published some really good articles that nobody else would dare to publish, on subjects that needed to be raised. For that I had a lot of respect for this site, but this simply looks like a childish dig using a very thin connection to a manufacture.

I have no wish to enter in to a tit for tat argument as there is nothing to be gained, but I felt that I just had to say something I this case.

 

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Tony Darland
Nov 03, 2017
IPVMU Certified

Well, like it or not, HIK still has a security issue. And it's not HIK's fault because they're low cost, it's HIK's fault because it's HIK's fault.

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Chris Bentley
Nov 03, 2017
Cop Security

lol

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Tony Darland
Nov 03, 2017
IPVMU Certified

Is the LoL the "tit" or the "tat" in the argument you had no wish to enter in to?

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Chris Bentley
Nov 03, 2017
Cop Security

OOP's

Oh now that is a good question :)

Perhaps we could start a new discussion

I genuinely found you comment funny, sorry if it wasn't supposed to be.

 

LT
Larry Tracy
Nov 15, 2017

well so does Flir and others

 

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Tim Pickles
Nov 15, 2017
Direct Security

Careful Larry - you'll upset the myth of aryan cyber security perfection.....

LT
Larry Tracy
Nov 15, 2017

touche lol

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Undisclosed #2
Nov 03, 2017
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UI
Undisclosed Integrator #5
Nov 03, 2017

You see!! At least Axis had the decency to instruct their Partners to install their equipment above the doors, instead of straight down into the urinals!! 

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Tim Pickles
Nov 08, 2017
Direct Security

Jesus - not Axis exposed! John will have to re-write the script now.

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U
Undisclosed #1
Nov 09, 2017
IPVMU Certified

This story is a hoot! Hat tip, U2.

Stowe High School officials say the installation of a fake security camera in a boys bathroom this fall was an effective way to stop students from vandalizing the space.

A high school student, who preferred to remain anonymous, recently emailed the Stowe Reporter photos of what appears to be a dome-shaped camera affixed to the bathroom ceiling near the door.

The white plastic base is emblazoned with the logo of Axis Communications, a leading manufacturer of wireless network cameras.

Stowe High Principal Jeff Maher says he placed the apparatus there “for exactly two hours” a couple of months ago as a deterrent, to halt students who were writing graffiti on the bathroom walls.

He said he just grabbed some plastic, formed it into a dome shape, inserted it into a security camera base, and screwed it into the ceiling.

 

Is anyone buying that crap?  Michaelangelo couldn’t have made a more perfect dome with his bare hands.  Or was it the magic, workable translucent plastic?  “And on the second day, He created the PTZ.”

Either way, he’s got a job at Axis on the line...

Maybe the principal doesn’t want to be fired?

Maher said he’s “been around long enough” to know not to put a real camera in a bathroom, and defended his actions as a teachable moment of sorts.

“The idea was to grab some attention, and it served its purpose,” he said. “The next day, in teacher advisory, everyone was up in arms.”

 

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U
Undisclosed #1
Nov 06, 2017
IPVMU Certified

The title is literally a matter of fact - "Hikvision Cameras Installed In UK School Bathroom". If I wanted to make it a 'bad mark', there are far more negative titles that could be used.

For instance:

Chinese Communist Camera Company Captures Cojones” ;)

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Brandon Knutson
Nov 03, 2017
IPVMU Certified

I think any brand of camera in any country's bathroom is a privacy issue. The better way to solve the vandalism is cameras outside the bathroom doors and frequent patrols by staff.

 

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UM
Undisclosed Manufacturer #4
Nov 03, 2017

Agreed.  I have used a PVM hanging down near a bathroom entrance at a warehouse where there were a lot of seasonal employees.  The employees were vandalizing things, writing bomb threats to be able to go home early, etc.  The PVM eliminated these issues moving forward.

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Undisclosed #1
Nov 03, 2017
IPVMU Certified

I have used a PVM hanging down near a bathroom entrance...

Showing the interior of the bathroom?  

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #5
Nov 03, 2017

I think Chuck Berry would disagree.... Too soon?

JH
Jay Hobdy
Nov 03, 2017
IPVMU Certified

I had a building engineer ask if we could put a camera in a restroom. I told him they didn't have enough money to draft the contract and compensate me for the damaged company reputation. He agreed.

 

John, I lead towards Chris here. The manufacturer is irrelevant. This is like saying Joe shot Bobby with a Glock hand gun or Jenny shot Suzy with a Smith & Wesson. While factual, it is not relevant.

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JH
John Honovich
Nov 03, 2017
IPVM

The manufacturer is irrelevant. 

That's certainly a reasonable point for people to disagree on.

However, one thing is certain. Hikvision has established that it takes credit for random uses of its cameras where they had no direct involvement. Again, the recent list:

There's no reasonable disagreement about Hikvision's policy there, correct?

If Hikvision wants to take credit for such events where their product was irrelevant (any camera can record a kangaroo or an adoption, etc), they should take credit for events like their cameras in school bathrooms. That's the logical consequence from establishing such an approach.

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UE
Undisclosed End User #6
Nov 03, 2017

John, I encourage you to bring forward such posts. I'm smart enough to tell the difference between a product review and a "lifestyle" post.

But really, this bathroom Hikvision camera is distracting us from combatting criminal and terrorist activities. (Hikvision sure is an interesting company to follow... They do say and do sum dum stuff) 

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Undisclosed Integrator #3
Nov 03, 2017

Only factual when Hikvision is mentioned, right?

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Undisclosed Integrator #5
Nov 03, 2017

I find this article hilarious and outrageous at the same time. ANY camera, in ANY bathroom is no-go for me. Keeping the customer happy, especially a possible large school district, is priority number one. But really? Who in their right mind thinks a cam right above the urinals is a good idea? How is this even remotely legal given whats taking place directly below it? IMO, HikVision has absolutely no blame here, unless they showcased this particular install somewhere. My bet is, this is either photoshopped and someone has us all fooled (and I hope this is the case), or this was a DIY job at a school where "playing swords" has caused enough damage to floors below, this cam was absolutely necessary. 

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JG
Jeff Gack
Nov 04, 2017
IPVMU Certified

I really like IPVM and have learned a lot here, but I really would like to see the Hikvision bashing to stop.

It is ridicules to say that it is Hikvision is to blame for an installers camera location.

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JH
John Honovich
Nov 04, 2017
IPVM

It is ridicules to say that it is Hikvision is to blame for an installers camera location.

Jeff, where do we 'say' 'Hikvision is to blame'? I mean this seriously. The answer is we don't.

We accurately reported a fact, again title is "Hikvision Cameras Installed In UK School Bathroom"

 

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JG
Jeff Gack
Nov 04, 2017
IPVMU Certified

Why not just say, installer puts cameras in bathroom.

What is the point of even mentioning Hik in the story, the manufacturer has nothing to do with the topic of where it is appropriate to install cameras.

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JH
John Honovich
Nov 04, 2017
IPVM

What is the point of even mentioning Hik in the story, the manufacurer has nothing to do

Jeff, as I explained in the opening, Hikvision has established that they take credit for things they have nothing to do with outside of their cameras being used, e.g.:

Likewise, if Hikvision deems that appropriate, it also should be appropriate for them to be associated with other usages of their cameras. Thoughts?

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Jeff Gack
Nov 04, 2017
IPVMU Certified

There's a big difference in associating your company name with some funny animal video as compared to something so wrong as your cameras in a school bathroom.

I just wish we could focus on more technical things that would help us be better at what we do.

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JH
John Honovich
Nov 04, 2017
IPVM

There's a big difference in associating your company name with some funny animal video as compared to something so wrong as your cameras in a school bathroom.

Jeff, what's the difference? It's that one makes a company look good, the other does not. To be ethically and logically consistent, if a company embraces usage they had nothing to do with but find marketing gain, they should also embrace those that cause marketing loss.

I just wish we could focus on more technical things that would help us be better at what we do.

There's no tradeoff. None of our testing team and none of our developers are involved in this discussion. And in between answering these comments, I am reviewing test reports (that adds to our 560+ tests already) and new Calculator features for next week.

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Sean Nelson
Nov 15, 2017
Nelly's Security

Revenue Stream.

IPVM is smart enough to know what you mean but putting spin on anything Hikvision related is part of their business model so they come up with weak arguments to attempt to justify their posts. 

Its been going on for quite a while now, just have to learn to accept it. It's like having a girlfriend that you really like but she always does something kind of annoying but not annoying enough to leave her cuz you still love her. Thats what IPVM is.

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U
Undisclosed #8
Nov 15, 2017

How can I click "agree" couple hundreds time? :)

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JH
John Honovich
Nov 15, 2017
IPVM

It's like having a girlfriend that you really like but she always does something kind of annoying but not annoying enough to leave her cuz you still love her. Thats what IPVM is.

Ok???

I've made my point repeatedly above about Hikvision's marketing hypocrisy and I'll leave it at that. 

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JH
Jay Hobdy
Nov 04, 2017
IPVMU Certified

John we went over this in the Las Vegas shooting thread.

 

Ford truck gets you 100 mpg and allows you to carry 5 tons of parts. Xyz company can do 50 service calls before refueling and restocking.

Model is Relevant

 

Dumbass uses Ford truck to carry explosives and blow up building.

Model irrelevant.

 

In your theory about cheap cost allowing bad installs, you should find the model of that camera posted at the school and post that model as well.

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GT
Glynn Thomas
Nov 05, 2017

Perhaps before bagging the camera brand or the fact that a camera is mounted above urinals, perhaps it would valid to consider what the camera image actually is? If it is looking toward say wash basins due to the school experiencing vandalism, is that a problem? The fact that it is mounted above urinals, does not mean it is looking at them or anywhere near them.

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Undisclosed #2
Nov 05, 2017

Perhaps you would like your children peeing in those urinals below the mounted surveillance cameras....

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Tim Pickles
Nov 08, 2017
Direct Security

Quote from Head Teacher:


"I must stress that this it to allow us to monitor who is entering and leaving the communal toilet areas and I can reassure parents and children that no cameras are directed towards sensitive areas including cubicles or urinals."

We have installed many cameras (Vicon, by the way) in police custody cells looking at the toilets and with privacy zones applied.

it pays to actually read the story, understand the facts and context and then decide if the school has a case to answer. The installer simply did what they were instructed to do and HIK have absolutely no case to answer.

Fake news......

 

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U
Undisclosed #8
Nov 09, 2017
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U
Undisclosed #1
Nov 05, 2017
IPVMU Certified

 The fact that it is mounted above urinals, does not mean it is looking at them or anywhere near them...

True.

And obviously, if you were trying to capture the urinals, any competent Hik dealer would choose something more appropriate from their new line:

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U
Undisclosed #2
Nov 05, 2017

Exactly the same story from Colorado.

Who makes the camera?

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Campbell Chang
Nov 05, 2017

Why does it matter who makes it?

 

Surely the bigger story here is that cameras being installed in bathrooms is apparently more common than we thought.

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U
Undisclosed #2
Nov 05, 2017

"Why does it matter who makes it?"

I agree with you that it doesn't.

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JH
Jay Hobdy
Nov 06, 2017
IPVMU Certified

I am surprised this isn't getting more attention and backlash.

 

"When you have our traditional stalls, as you do in our middle school, you would never put a camera in a bathroom like that," Teeples said."

 

So its OK to put cameras in the bathrooms with stall walls that go to the ceiling but not OK where the stall walls are shorter.

 

I think that is splitting hairs, and once you put cameras in a bathroom, you have entered a dangerous territory. 

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BP
Bas Poiesz
Nov 06, 2017

Unless this installation was designed and installed by Hikvision, the brand is clearly not relevant. It helps draw attention, no doubt.

The installer and the school board have responsibility as they directly influence the location where the cameras are placed.

@John Honovic can you tell us how exactly Hikvision caused these items to be installed above a urinal and not in the hallway?

Since you are adement they are to be held responsible I am curious to see your reasoning (you state and or imply their responsibility in the comments above).

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JH
John Honovich
Nov 06, 2017
IPVM

Jonathan, thanks for the reply!

I think Hikvision is just as responsible for the UK school bathroom cameras as Hikvision is responsible for catching kangaroos on camera or recording adoptions or filming bears going into pizzerias, etc.

Since Hikvision has established the principle that they take credit for surveillance use they are not responsible for outside of their equipment being present, they should equally take credit for this incident.

I have explained a few times now and I am looking forward to hearing feedback to this comparison.

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BP
Bas Poiesz
Nov 06, 2017

If I read the replies and look at the comments I feel I am not the only one getting tired of Hik-bashing. For some time now it has not been about relevant issues as soon as the Red HIK comes into the scope.

Honestly, I am not looking for the debate any more as it makes no sense at all.
If this is what it comes down to it's become a sad period in time.

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JR
Javier Ramirez
Nov 06, 2017

With this argument, do you suggest that Glock kills people rather than people killing people? Should someone be able to sue Jack Daniels because a drunk driver killed their family member in an accident. Did the company that made the fork make people fat? Blaming the manufacturer in any stretch on this is really reaching. People need to learn to take responsibility for their own actions. 

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U
Undisclosed #2
Nov 06, 2017

"Did the company that made the fork make people fat?"

never heard that one before....  I like it!  :)

MM
Matthew Moyer
Nov 06, 2017

Ok so if a pedafile uses a HIK cam to record disputable acts on children then it's HIK's fault? I guess their Management should all go to jail for their involvement.

Its only the title. I didn't see that in any of the articles online where HIK cam in bathroom is specified. Parents are outraged and don't care who made it. It's who put it there and why? If it happened in my kids school I wouldn't care which camera it is. I would be pissed like the parents there and want answers.

Who cares what HIK posts for videos it's their choice. Maybe it was even shot with a ActI camera that they post. WHO CARES! Obviously I'm not the only one who is tired of seeing  the constant bashing. Grow the hell up and stop beating the dead horse.

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UE
Undisclosed End User #7
Nov 06, 2017

Here we go again....is this a joke? The comments, not the story or the manufacturer.

We are professionals here. We've got the defenders, the detractors...and a few glock guys all arguing over a bunch of silly crap.

What you keyboard warriors are missing, for the most part, is the thought of cameras being installed in any BATHROOM. I dont give a damn who's camera it is, who's bathroom it is, what portion of the bathroom it shows, who is unsafe, or what gets vandalized. YOU CANNOT INSTALL CAMERAS IN A BATHROOM. Stalls have nothing to do with it. There is no place in that restroom that a 6 year old cant drop trow for some last minute adjustment and you havent violated their rights. Underage? Thats a special violation. And dont tell me that a high school bathroom doesn't occasionally get a younger visitor.

Lets see...violation of rights, possible production of nude images involving a minor, lawsuits that will potentially range into the millions, the type of damage to reputations that is irreparable. 

Lets have a conversation about professionally advising a potential client that they are out of their minds if they think that any security risk or potential vandalism outweighs the consequences of doing something this abhorrently stupid. Hire a monitor if its that important. 

John, might i suggest that you use some of the resources you posess to examine the last 5-8 years of case history on this subject to find out actual legal cases brought, their rulings, and what the dmages were....because I can assure you, there were damages awarded.

I once told a police captain who was in my chain of command that he was out of his f$*&%^ mind for even suggesting putting cameras in a locker room because of minor theft issues.

How many of you people have kids? I would be in a lawyers office within 5 minutes of finding this out about a school my kid was attending. I think that should be the outrage here. Not wether or not John is picking on Hikvision again (he is) or wether they deserve it (they do).

UE
Undisclosed End User #6
Nov 06, 2017

I gather John is picking on Hikvision because they will make their cameras seem important even when brand doesn't matter (he gave examples of their case studies).      

U
Undisclosed #1
Nov 06, 2017
IPVMU Certified

I think that should be the outrage here. Not wether or not John is picking on Hikvision again (he is) or wether they deserve it (they do).

So, let me understand, we have a

...a violation of rights, possible production of nude images involving a minor, lawsuits that will potentially range into the millions, the type of damage to reputations that is irreparable.

Yet it is not right to even debate whether we should damage the reputation of a vendor by association with such a heinous act?

Just because you assert “they deserve it”, without even putting the slightest rationale forward?

UE
Undisclosed End User #7
Nov 06, 2017

Ummmm...that was sarcasm. I think john has tried to defend his words...me, i dont care. I havent tried them, wont try them, dont care about them.

But once again, as a security professional, where is the outrage at cameras in a bathroom?

UE
Undisclosed End User #6
Nov 06, 2017

I try not to get outraged at every dumb thing people do. Shall we create a T-shirt and march? 

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U
Undisclosed #1
Nov 06, 2017
IPVMU Certified

this is sarcasm?

Not wether or not John is picking on Hikvision again (he is) or wether they deserve it (they do).

So your really saying they don’t deserve it, but also he isn’t picking on them either? Or?

 

 

UE
Undisclosed End User #7
Nov 06, 2017

No t-shirt. You can print one for yourself after your kid's school district decides this is a good idea. Dumb ideas have a way of circulating. Especially when those with the expertise to point out the absurdity of this defer to those who don't.

 

LT
Larry Tracy
Nov 15, 2017

Sure stirs up lots of debate, having run a British subsidiary maybe this is allowed, lots of laws are much different there.  As an example, there were no sexual harassment laws there 15 years ago. They certainly don't have lawsuits like we do because if you sue someone and lose you pay their attorney fees. 

I know Pelco (concealed) cameras were installed in the room where the lawyers for the Red Cross met as legal representatives for the guys who shot Anwar Sadat. Is Pelco guilty of something?

Most professionals know you cannot install cameras anywhere the public has reasonable expectation of privacy in this country, but I will bet this doesn't apply in more than half the countries of the world.

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Tim Pickles
Nov 15, 2017
Direct Security

So if John became the editor of the NYT (and we know how he likes that rag), would the Times Square attack have been re-titled:

"Honda Accord kills one and injures 22"

In doing so, no blame or responsibility is apportioned to the perpetrator. Seems one reporting rule for some and one for Hikvision.

 

U
Undisclosed #1
Nov 15, 2017
IPVMU Certified

So if John became the editor of the NYT (and we know how he likes that rag), would the Times Square attack have been re-titled:

Honda Accord kills one and injures 22

T. Pickles, it’s unfortunate that you feel the need to distort your case.

A comparable headline would have been:

Honda Accord used in attack killing one and injuring 22

Still not something you are likely to see, but a notch or two down, agreed?

JH
John Honovich
Sep 21, 2020
IPVM
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