Costco Continues to Sell Banned Surveillance Equipment, Lawmakers Say – By Nikki Main (Gizmodo) / Nov 1, 2023
Two U.S. lawmakers claim Costco is going against its global Code of Conduct by selling products associated with cybersecurity risks and human rights abuse.
U.S. lawmakers are questioning Costco’s decision to sell banned Chinese-based security products reportedly linked to human rights abuses and cybersecurity risks. Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) wrote a letter to the retailer on Tuesday, calling for Costco to remove Lorex surveillance equipment from its shelves.
The lawmakers called it “puzzling” that the retail giant is selling Lorex equipment, which was placed on the Department of Commerce’s “Entity List” for its role in the PRC’s genocide in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The Federal Communications Commission banned all telecommunications and surveillance equipment owned by the Chinese company, Dahua, which included Lorex products in 2022, for vulnerabilities discovered including “unauthorized viewing of video and audio feeds and archives, as well as unauthorized network access and remote tampering with settings,” Smith and Merkley said in the letter.
Costco has a responsibility to remove such products from its shelves, the letter says, accusing the company of going against its previous commitment to prohibiting international human rights abuses. Costco Wholesaler Corporation has a global Code of Conduct “which prohibits human rights abuses” in its supply chain including human trafficking, physical abuse, restricting freedom of movement, unsafe work environments, excessive or forced overtime, illegal child labor, and many others.
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