US FCC blocks two devices over Huawei-linked camera chips
The US Federal Communications Commission blocked two devices containing camera-processing chips linked to a Huawei subsidiary. It was the first use of powers acquired on October 13 to restrict components from companies designated national-security risks. The agency did not identify the devices. Its decision extends approval scrutiny beyond finished-product brands to the makers of chips inside them.
Geopolitics··Evening
Two devices fail the US approval process
The US Federal Communications Commission, the communications regulator known as the FCC, blocked approval of two devices containing camera-processing chips linked to a Huawei subsidiary. The October 22 announcement marked the first application of authority the agency obtained on October 13. That power allows the commission to restrict devices incorporating computer chips made by companies it designates potential national-security threats. The agency did not name the two devices. Its national-security descriptions are the regulator’s assessments of the components and their producer, rather than independently demonstrated findings about the unidentified products.[1], [2]
The chip processes camera-sensor data
The component converts raw information from a camera sensor into usable video. Such processors can be used in home security cameras and vehicle dashboard cameras. They are components inside those systems rather than complete cameras in their own right. The FCC said the producer marketed the chip for surveillance applications and advertised built-in algorithms capable of detecting human faces. The Verge connected the component with a Huawei subsidiary. Huawei is included on the FCC’s Covered List, which identifies companies regarded by the agency as national-security risks.[1]
Online listings examined by The Verge often offered similar chips together with Sony camera sensors and sometimes a lens. Those listings did not establish the identities of the two devices affected by the FCC decision.[1]
The authority reaches components inside another manufacturer’s product
The new authority addresses listed companies’ chips reaching the US market inside devices sold by other manufacturers. The approval question therefore depends on more than the name printed on a finished product. The component maker can also bring a device within the commission’s restrictions. The Verge recalled earlier extensions of FCC powers covering retrospective device restrictions and modular radio transmitters. The latest announcement applies the newly acquired chip authority to two products. The commission did not immediately answer the publication’s request for additional comment, leaving the products unnamed in that account.[1]
