The US blocks gadgets over a chip inside them for the first time

To import, market or sell most electronics in the US you need FCC approval. Companies on the Covered List, a list of national security threats, have long been unable to get it. Huawei is on that list.

But there was a loophole: an ordinary device from another brand could contain a part from a listed company. This year the FCC adopted a rule that closes it. A device will not get approval if it contains a smart part, meaning a chip with logic, from a listed company. The rule took effect on 13 October.

Now comes the first case. The FCC's engineering office stopped a dash cam and a wireless video transmitter. Both contained a HiSilicon chip. The FCC says HiSilicon itself advertises the chip as designed for the surveillance market, with built-in face detection.

According to DroneXL, neither device had been approved yet. The rule only works forward: equipment approved before 13 October keeps its approval. The release does not say how the FCC found the chips.

The same rule already stops new US-built drones with DJI or Autel parts from getting approval. For ordinary buyers this may mean fewer cheap models and possibly higher prices if makers have to swap parts.

Confirmed facts

• The FCC kept a dash cam and a wireless video transmitter containing a HiSilicon chip off the US market.^[1][2]
• HiSilicon is a Huawei subsidiary, and Huawei is on the FCC's Covered List.^[1][2]
• It is the first enforcement of the rule on parts from listed companies, in force since 13 October.^[1][2]
• The FCC quotes HiSilicon's own marketing: the chip is designed for the surveillance market and detects faces.^[1]
• The FCC named no manufacturers, models or chip part number.^[2]
• Neither device had been approved. Equipment approved before 13 October keeps its approval.^[2]

Implications

• ConfirmedThe US now bans not only brands on the FCC list but also devices with their chips inside.
• Our readingMakers of cheap cameras and dash cams will have to swap parts to sell in the US.
• Our readingThe choice of low-cost cameras and drones in the US may shrink and prices may rise.

Still unknown

• Which models were blocked and who makes them.
• How the FCC found the chips inside the devices.
• How many more devices the new rule will catch.

Who it affects

USA, China. People who buy cameras, dash cams and drones, and anyone selling electronics in the US

Sources

1. FCC: FCC Blocks Two Devices Containing Foreign Surveillance Chips October 22, 2026 · official
2. DroneXL: FCC Catches Huawei Surveillance Chips in Its First Parts Ban Case October 22, 2026 · media