US blocks Huawei-linked surveillance chips over national security fears
The FCC says the Huawei-linked chips pose a national security risk to the United States.
Huawei retail shop in Shenzhen, China. Photo by Cheng Xin/Getty Images
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- The FCC banned two devices from US marketing and sales over Huawei-linked HiSilicon chips.
- The banned products are a dashboard camera and a wireless video transmitter.
- The FCC says the chips target surveillance uses and pose an unacceptable national security risk.
- The ban took effect on October 13, but the FCC only recently made it public.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the communications regulator in the United States, has banned 2 devices from being marketed or sold in the US because of the company’s ties to Huawei.
According to the FCC, the banned products, a dashboard camera and a wireless video transmitter, contain a “dangerous foreign chip” produced by HiSilicon, a subsidiary of Huawei.
The communications supervisor argues that the Chinese tech company advertises its chips as “designed for the surveillance market with built-in detection algorithms for human faces,” making it a risk to the United States’ national security.
“The FCC will continue to act with vigilance in protecting and promoting America’s national security. Video devices containing surveillance chips produced by Covered List entities pose an obvious and unacceptable risk to the nation and our people,” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said in a statement.
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“I applaud the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology for their work and for preventing this potential spyware from obtaining the approvals necessary for marketing and sale in the US. We will continue to act aggressively to enforce our rules and secure American networks,” he continued.
The Covered List, also known as the Entity List, has been around since 2021 and aims to identify Chinese companies with close ties to the Chinese military, either because they are directly controlled by the military or contribute to the defense and attack capabilities of China’s army.
The list includes various prominent Chinese tech companies, such as China Mobile, China Telecom, Dahua, HikVision, Huawei, Tencent, and ZTE.
The Covered List has been updated several times over the past few years, adding new Chinese tech companies to the index, such as DJI Technologies, TP-Link, and other manufacturers of foreign-made routers.
In June 2026, the US government added Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, internet search provider Baidu, and automakers BYD and Nio to the list because of their alleged ties with Beijing’s military.
The marketing and sales ban for HiSilicon’s dashboard camera and wireless video transmitter took effect on October 13th. The FCC only recently made this decision public.
