The FCC bans gadgets with 'surveillance chips' in but Intel gets a waiver

Date:
Sat, 24 Oct 2026 13:30:00 +0000

Description:
The FCC continues to wield its power over the technology that is and isn't allowed to operate in the United States.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Gadgets with foreign chips are now being banned by the FCC Two unnamed devices have been put on the official Covered List However, Intel has been granted an exemption for factory robots There's new movement in both directions on the Covered List maintained by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US the list of banned tech products that the agency has determined are a threat to national security, including DJI hardware .

New rules that came into effect this month allow the FCC to ban not just devices from specific companies, but also devices with components from specific companies inside them. As The Verge reports, those rules are now being put into practice. Two unnamed gadgets have been added to the Covered List because they have a HiVision chip inside HiVision being a subsidiary of Huawei, which is already on the list. These chips are typically used in home security cameras and dashcams. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

As per the FCC, they're "foreign surveillance chips", and offer "built-in detection algorithms for human faces" (a feature you might have seen advertised as a way of identifying strangers around your property, rather
than friends and family). Factory robot workers Intel can carry on using its robots (Image credit: Intel) However, one company has managed to extract a waiver out of the FCC to avoid equipment it relies on being added to the Covered List: Reuters reports that Intel has been granted an exception for
the robots it uses in its semiconductor factories. You may like The US government is banning foreign-made robot vacuums so what does it mean for you? 98.6% of US-based respondents reject the FCC's 'military-grade' drone
ban The FCC could start banning DJI drones that have previously been approved

The "foreign-made advanced robotics" involved can't be sourced domestically, Intel has argued. With that in mind, the FCC has kept them off the Covered List to avoid "potential disruptions in the availability of domestic semiconductor manufacturing services".

As it stands, the waiver only lasts for a year though Intel will then have
to find some factory floor robots without foreign components inside, or apply to the FCC again to prevent its army of autonomous workers from being banned. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our
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The 'Automated Guided Vehicles' in question have been in use for two decades, Intel says. The exemption doesn't apply to new models, but rather software, firmware, and hardware tweaks to the existing models already in operation. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. The best laptops for all budgets Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/the-fcc-has-started-to-ban-gadgets-with-fo reign-surveillance-chips-inside-but-grants-intel-a-waiver-for-its-foreign-made -factory-robots


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