US Regulator Blocks Two Devices Over Huawei-Linked Surveillance Chips

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has said it will not allow two devices, a wireless video transmitter and a dashboard camera, to enter the US market. Both are built with chips made by HiSilicon, a Huawei subsidiary. The FCC said HiSilicon markets its products as "designed for the surveillance market" with built-in detection algorithms for human faces. It is the first ban of this kind since the agency brought in tougher rules.

The new rules took effect on October 13. They prohibit devices that contain smart components made by companies on the FCC's covered list, a public directory maintained under a 2019 regulation. The list identifies video surveillance, communications and general technology products believed to threaten national security, and HiSilicon is on it. Before the change, the FCC said its rules did not stop otherwise lawful devices from including parts made by covered list companies.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr called the products potential spyware and said video devices containing surveillance chips from covered list entities pose an "obvious and unacceptable risk" to the nation and its people. Huawei did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The source article is a US story, but it shows that the origin of components inside everyday devices is now a regulatory and security concern, not just the brand on the box.