NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc has bought cameras to take temperatures of workers during the coronavirus pandemic from a firm the United States blacklisted over allegations it helped China detain and monitor Uighurs and other Muslim minorities, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
At least 500 systems from Dahua, the blacklisted firm, are for Amazon’s use in the United States, another person said.
Top U.S.-based maker FLIR Systems Inc has faced an up to weeks-long order backlog, forcing it to prioritize products for hospitals and other critical facilities.
The company added it was implementing thermal imagers from “multiple” manufacturers, which it declined to name.
These vendors include Infrared Cameras Inc, which Reuters previously reported, and FLIR, according to employees at Amazon-owned Whole Foods who saw the deployment.
Dahua’s thermal cameras have been used in hospitals, airports, train stations, government offices and factories during the pandemic.
Dahua made the decision to market its technology in the United States before the FDA issued the guidance on thermal cameras in the pandemic. »
