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.

已确认的事实

• 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]

影响

• 已确认The US now bans not only brands on the FCC list but also devices with their chips inside.
• 我们的解读Makers of cheap cameras and dash cams will have to swap parts to sell in the US.
• 我们的解读The choice of low-cost cameras and drones in the US may shrink and prices may rise.

仍未知

• 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.

影响到谁

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

来源

1. FCC: FCC Blocks Two Devices Containing Foreign Surveillance Chips 2026年10月22日 · 官方
2. DroneXL: FCC Catches Huawei Surveillance Chips in Its First Parts Ban Case 2026年10月22日 · 媒体