By Munsif Vengattil and Aditya Kalra
NEW DELHI, Oct 1 (Reuters) – Amazon and Walmart’s Flipkart have begun checking security camera listings on their platforms in India after hundreds of unlicensed products were offered for sale despite strict government testing rules imposed six months ago amid concerns about espionage risks.
The two e-commerce companies, which dominate online shopping in India, were reviewing internet-enabled surveillance cameras listed by third-party sellers and brands on their platforms after Reuters discovered the listings, two people familiar with the checks said. Any without government approval would be removed, the people said.
Amazon, in an email, declined to comment, while Flipkart did not respond to Reuters queries.
From roads to homes, security cameras have become ubiquitous across India, fuelling an industry worth $4.4 billion, but unapproved sales online are a “serious concern”, said Gulshan Rai, who was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cybersecurity chief from 2015 to 2019.
“A compromised camera can become both a surveillance risk and a cybersecurity entry point,” he told Reuters.
A Reuters analysis this week found more than 700 of roughly 770 internet security camera listings on Amazon and Flipkart were for models that were not on the Bureau of Indian Standards’ public database of approved brands or cameras.
Since April, surveillance camera manufacturers have been required to submit hardware and software for testing to obtain certification from the standards bureau before they can sell their equipment in the world’s most populous country.
The rules, first announced in 2024, reflect growing concern in New Delhi that sensitive footage could be transferred abroad. In April, the Delhi police said they had uncovered a Pakistan-linked spying network that used Chinese-made SIM-enabled CCTVs near military sites in northern India to send live footage to handlers in Pakistan.
Since Tuesday, at least a dozen listings have been removed from the e-commerce platforms, including at least two models from Hikvision’s EZVIZ brand, which Amazon now shows as “currently unavailable”.
Hikvision and Zhejiang Dahua Technology had 30% of the Indian security camera market, Counterpoint Research told Reuters last year. The companies did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.
The Bureau of Indian Standards did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment about the listings.
‘LIVE FOOTAGE FROM ANYWHERE’
Global e-commerce giants have often come under fire in India for having restricted products, including e-cigarettes, gender-test kits and banned wildlife products, listed on their platforms.
Reuters found at least eight unlicensed WiFi camera models from Hikvision and Dahua on Amazon. The US has barred its government agencies from buying some of their equipment over Beijing-related security concerns.
Other listings included Maizic Smarthomes, which describes itself as India’s best-selling AI security brand. None of its 138 “wifi camera” offerings on Amazon, including some slotted inside bulbs, had an Indian approval, the standards bureau’s website showed.
One listing sold by Maizic India on Amazon said its “Fish Eye Bulb WiFi 360 Degree Camera” connected to a WiFi network, “allowing you to stream live footage from anywhere in the world through your smartphone or tablet.”
Maizic co-founder Santosh Kumar Singh told Reuters it had removed WiFi functionality that allowed live feeds from its cameras and the devices would only be enabled for direct connectivity with a nearby mobile device until it secured government approval.
ESPIONAGE RISK
In July, a confidential email reviewed by Reuters showed, Amazon told one of its sellers it was removing its camera listing for not having the necessary approval marks, following a complaint by Sujatha Thammadi, the standards bureau’s head of registration.
Thammadi did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
Hundreds of listings remained online as of Thursday.
One Dahua Wireless Dome Camera was listed on Amazon for 779 Indian rupees ($8.10) after a 70% discount. Dahua’s popular brand Imou, meanwhile, has a dedicated page on Amazon India — with promotional videos, separate indoor and outdoor WiFi camera categories and a “Hot Selling” section.
One of the sources said Amazon had decided to remove the brand page.
(Reporting by Aditya Kalra and Munsif Vengattil; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
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