The Record reported that the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said on Thursday it will block two devices from the US market. They are a wireless video transmitter and a dashboard camera. Both contain chips made by HiSilicon, a Huawei subsidiary. The FCC said HiSilicon sells these chips as built for surveillance, with tools to spot human faces. The Record calls this the first ban under the agency's new rules, which took effect on October 13. The rules bar devices that hold smart parts from firms on the FCC's covered list. The agency has kept that list since a 2019 rule. It names firms whose video, communications and tech products are seen as a national security threat. HiSilicon is on it.
The Record does not name the makers or brands of the two devices. It does not say how many units are affected or whether they are on sale in the US now. Huawei did not reply right away to a request for comment. The FCC said that before October 13, its rules did not stop otherwise lawful devices from carrying parts made by listed firms. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr called the products potential spyware. He said video devices with chips from listed firms pose an obvious and unacceptable risk.
For people who build or buy hardware with video features, the check now reaches the chips inside. A device can be blocked because of who made one of its parts, not only who made the device.