Many of the future security cameras and radio hardware from Hikvision, Dahua, and other companies will no longer be accepted into the US. The Federal Communications Commission has just announced it will no longer authorize some of their equipment, which is a big deal because companies can't legally import or sell anything with a radio in the US without that authorization

It isn't a blanket ban. Consumer products that are clearly marked will be exempt.

Is this company already banned? It's not quite right. The Commerce Department accused Chinese telecom companies of being national security threats and added them to theEntity List. It didn't keep their products out of the U.S. You don't have to worry about buying a DJI drones.

The Entity List doesn't go all the way.

The Entity List keeps US companies from exporting technology to China. It could have had an impact on the availability of the updates on the devices. The Entity List can be used by other governments. Spending federal dollars to buy Chinese equipment for government agencies has become more difficult.

It makes no sense to allow the same equipment to be purchased and inserted into our communications networks if federal dollars aren't involved, as we have determined that equipment from certain manufacturers poses an unacceptable national security risk.

The FCC has a "Covered List" of companies that it considers a national security threat and ordered network operators to rip out and replace all their equipment at a likely cost of billions of dollars.

The government didn't have anything to do with Best Buy and Home Depot stopping selling Dahua and Hikvision cameras. Stores didn't want to be associated with human rights violations Both brands can be found on Amazon.

If the FCC doesn't authorize Amazon, it won't be able to sell newer products. One of the reasons that eagle-eyed gadget-lovers are able to use it to reveal new products is that every radio-frequency product imported for sale in the US goes into the FCC OET database. Mass quantities of a product can't be imported if you're not in the database.

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Some Hikvision security cameras.
Image by FRED DUFOUR/AFP via Getty Images

It is possible that they need to brand their products more carefully to escape a ban. The FCC denied authorization to equipment for the purpose of public safety, security of government facilities, physical security, and other national security purposes.

The FCC will require these three companies to document what safeguards they put in place for the purpose of marketing or sale. They put in place a freeze on all of their applications until the work is done.

The cams can be imported and sold if they agree to market them to consumers. The FCC isn't revoking authorizations for existing products

The FCC isn't closing this loophole by itself, it was ordered to do so by the Secure Equipment Act of 2021, which just says that the FCC won't review any authorization applications submitted by any company on that Covered List It will be a big deal when any new companies show up.