Backstreet Surveillance, Inc, an industry leading do-it-yourself security camera systems provider, today provided clarity for those seeking NDAA Certified Video Surveillance Systems.
The 2019 NDAA law banned the use of electronic equipment, such as video cameras, provided by specific companies, primarily located in China due to security concerns. The main issue was a video chipset that possessed a remote hidden back door which could grant bad actors and unauthorized entities to access the equipment undetected.
“There has been some confusion about what constitutes an NDAA certified system among those who are required to use NDAA certified video surveillance systems and those who are not but still want the protection offered by NDAA certification,” said Scott McQuarrie, CEO of Backstreet Surveillance. “There are three main terms that are causing confusion when shopping for an NDAA solution. They are Compliant, Certified and Approved. From our point of view each addresses a different aspect of describing the NDAA law and compliance and it is important for people to understand how each of these terms relate to their buying decisions.”
McQuarrie explained that because there is no government NDAA Certification Program and no government structured oversight, meeting NDAA compliance is left to the consumer and provider—making this section of the industry self-regulating. Even so, the liability to comply with to the NDAA law is on the end user. In other words, the current situation places all liability to meet the law on the consumer which includes government agencies and contractors who would not be expected to know anything about the electronics, their source or the integrity of the equipment.
The following are definitions of the terms “compliant,” certified” and “approved” as they relate to the NDAA law as Backstreet Surveillance understand them:
Compliant: NDAA compliant simply means the equipment is not produced or does not contain components provided by the banned companies listed in the NDAA law. Any item on our site, listing our NDAA logo is compliant with the law.
Certified: Security providers who sell security equipment to the government or to contractors who service the government may be asked to certify that their security systems are NDAA compliant. The equipment supplier is required to provide written certification that the equipment does in fact meet NDAA requirements. This certification places the responsibility of meeting the law squarely on the provider and provides the consumer with written documentation they have met NDAA requirements. This certification is documented using the form NDAA-889-Representation Form titled “CONTRACTOR’S CERTIFICATION ON COMPLIANCE WITH NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT (NDAA).
Approved: Backstreet Surveillance does not advocate the use of the term “Approved” because the government does not approve NDAA equipment. That said, in June 2021, the Chairperson for the FCC stated they would no longer issue FCC licenses to companies “covered” in the NDAA law. In other words, the FCC is using the NDAA law to deny new FCC equipment licenses for these companies and their equipment. The result is any item issued an FCC license is confirmed to have met the NDAA law and is approved for use by the FCC in the United States. One could argue the government has tacitly approved any new items with an FCC license; however, since this scenario is ambiguous, it is not recommended that this term be used for any product descriptions or claims.
McQuarrie said, “As a video surveillance system provider, Backstreet Surveillance has been required by its clients including government agencies and other contractors to provide this from to them. It clearly documents that the consumer has indeed met the NDAA law and it clearly places liability for compliance on the provider. Because of this need we created a new series called Cyber-Secure which we launched nationwide November 1st. The series is ours; it was engineered for us and includes elevated security features such as additional one-way firewalls and other cyber security enhancements. We selected the components, verified its manufacturing process meets NDAA and we provide written Certification to the consumer it meets all NDAA requirements. The Certification document effectively transfers any liability for compliance from the consumer to us the provider. To stay clear of any confusion regarding this certification we now refer to the certification as ‘Supplier Certified.’”
For more, please see the article posted on the Backstreet Surveillance website at https://www.backstreet-surveillance.com/ndaa-law
About Backstreet Surveillance, Inc.
Since 2012 Backstreet Surveillance, Inc. has been a trusted industry leader. Backstreet provides high performance, easy to install, do-it-yourself security camera systems throughout the entire United States, backed by a complete 5-year warranty from the date of delivery. It serves large and small businesses, state, local and federal government agencies and individual homeowners. Backstreet Surveillance is an NDAA-compliant, American owned company with all its support representatives and facilities located in the United States. For more information, please visit backstreet-surveillance.com.
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