FCC’s ‘Operation Clean Carts’ Targets Online Sales of Blacklisted Chinese Tech

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14, 2025 – Several thousand tech devices linked to Chinese manufacturers have been removed from major e-commerce sites.

The Federal Communications Commission announced Friday that, under an initiative led by its Council on National Security, it worked with online retailers to stop the sale of “Covered List” equipment. That includes technology produced by firms such as Huawei, ZTE, Dahua, and Hikvision, which U.S. officials say can be used by the Chinese government to conduct espionage or cyber intrusions.

After coordination with major online platforms, the FCC said those companies have deleted millions of listings for unauthorized smart watches, home security cameras, and other consumer devices. 

Several e-commerce sites also agreed to adopt stronger internal screening tools, train third-party sellers on compliance obligations, and coordinate regularly with the FCC to monitor for illegal listings.

“The Communist Party of China has engaged in a multi-prong effort to insert insecure gear into Americans’ homes and businesses,” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said in a statement posted to X. “This equipment poses an unacceptable risk to our national security. I expect all online retailers to do their part and comply with federal law.”

The campaign builds on a series of actions by the FCC’s Council on National Security, created in March 2025 to coordinate enforcement against companies deemed threats to U.S. communications infrastructure. 

Its first initiative, the Council launched investigations into nine Covered List entities, including Huawei, ZTE, Dahua, Hikvision, and China Telecom, accused of continuing unregulated operations despite prior bans.

In May, the FCC barred so-called “bad labs” with ties to Chinese state-owned firms, prompting the Council to later revoke or decline renewal for eleven Chinese-controlled labs as part of that crackdown. The move, Carr said at the time, was “an important step in restoring trust” in the U.S. equipment authorization process.

The “Clean Carts” initiative was the latest front in a broader, years-long campaign to purge Chinese technology from U.S. networks. 

Under former Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, the FCC also launched its ongoing “rip and replace” program, directing carriers to remove and replace Huawei and ZTE gear from rural broadband networks.