The Federal Communications Commission has blocked two consumer devices from entering the U.S. market because they contain surveillance chips made by HiSilicon, a Huawei subsidiary on the agency’s covered list. The action, announced Thursday, is the first enforcement under new rules that took effect October 13.
The banned products, a wireless video transmitter and a dashboard camera, use HiSilicon chips that the company markets as designed for the surveillance market, including built-in detection algorithms for human faces, according to the FCC.
What changed
Previously, FCC rules did not prohibit otherwise lawful devices from incorporating component parts made by entities on the covered list, a directory the agency maintains under a 2019 regulation identifying video surveillance, communications, and other technology products deemed a threat to national security. HiSilicon has been on that list.
The new rules close that gap, allowing the FCC to block devices at the component level even when the finished product itself is not made by a listed company.
Official response
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr framed the devices as potential spyware risks tied to national security.
- Quote: “The FCC will continue to act with vigilance in protecting and promoting America’s national security,” Carr said, adding that “video devices containing surveillance chips produced by Covered List entities pose an obvious and unacceptable risk to the nation and our people.”
Huawei did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ban.
Why it matters
This marks a precedent-setting enforcement action that security teams and procurement officers should note, particularly those involved in vetting surveillance and IoT hardware supply chains. Organizations sourcing video transmitters, dashcams, or similar embedded-camera devices should verify whether underlying chipsets originate from covered-list manufacturers, since the FCC has now demonstrated it will act on component-level sourcing rather than only final assembly or branding.
