In the Doghouse: FCC Bans New Foreign-Made Humanoid, Quadruped Robots
Who let the robo-dogs out? Not the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which added new foreign-made quadruped and humanoid robots to its Covered List—banning them from the U.S. marketplace.
The action is just the latest in a series of significant enforcement efforts the FCC has implemented this year to cut down on Chinese-manufactured robotics, drones, and routers in the name of national security.
And with that, we’ll dive into our August Legal Report:
- The FCC is banning new imports of foreign-made robotic dogs and humanoids
- EBay settles a major harassment case carried out by former security personnel
- UK House of Lords opens inquiry into Online Safety Act enforcement risk
- Employees sue Meta, alleging it used artificial intelligence (AI) to carry out mass layoffs
- Czech officials propose legislation to expand counter-drone authorities
FCC Shuts the Door on Foreign-Made Robot Dogs and Humanoids
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) banned imports of new foreign-made humanoid robots, quadruped robots, and power inverters on 27 July, citing national security risks.
“Following President Trump’s leadership, the FCC will continue to do our part to secure America’s critical supply chains and, with today’s action, the FCC is acting in lock step with our national security agencies to do just that,” said FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr in a statement about the decision.
The FCC based its decision to add the devices to its Covered List after a White House interagency review determined that foreign-produced advanced robotic devices posed a supply chain vulnerability that could disrupt U.S. economic and national security. This list is the commission’s log of equipment and services that pose an unacceptable national security risk and therefore cannot be authorized, marketed, or sold in the United States.
“The global supply chain for advanced robotic devices and their critical components, including actuators, end effectors, batteries, and sensors, are increasingly consolidated in a handful of countries, some of which have repeatedly shown willingness to disrupt American supply chains in times of geopolitical tensions,” according to the FCC. “If the United States continues to rely on foreign sources of advanced robotic devices and critical components, it will subject the parts of the U.S. economy and national security enterprise that are reliant on these robots to the whims of foreign entities that could disrupt or degrade the supply chains at a time of their choosing.”
The interagency review also found that advanced robotic devices from foreign manufacturers pose cybersecurity and safety risks. These robotics collect data, which could be used by malign actors to surveil Americans, enhance foreign intelligence services capabilities, or remotely commandeer the robots, the FCC added.
The commission cited multiple exploits of cybersecurity vulnerabilities that leveraged robotics in its reasoning for the ban, including an incident where security researchers identified potential pre-installed backdoors on quadruped robotics that gave access to their camera feeds and controls.
“As advanced robotic devices increase in relevancy across critical infrastructure, security, manufacturing, and the military, it is critical that they are secure and reliable systems which cannot be remotely accessed or manipulated by malign actors,” the FCC explained.
The U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Homeland Security have granted “conditional approval” to some advanced robotics devices and power inverters that have been deemed not to pose these risks. Manufacturers of these devices can submit applications for conditional approval before 1 January 2028.
The FCC also included exemptions for industrial arms, stationary robots, and robots under 4.4 pounds in weight. The ban only applies to future models, so models that were previously approved for import in the United States are still legal to use.
Brendan Schulman, vice president of policy and government relations at Boston Dynamics—a major manufacturer of quadruped robotics used in the security industry—wrote on LinkedIn expressing his support for the FCC’s decision.
“Communications and national security policy are crucial aspects of the national robotics strategy that Boston Dynamics and others have been advocating for,” Schulman wrote. “I sense that this is just the first round in a series of policies that will define the success and growth of the industry for decades to come.”
China in the crosshairs. China has dominated the world’s race to develop robotics, which have been part of its national strategy for years. It shipped approximately 80 percent of the world’s humanoid robots in 2025 and is expected to surpass that figure in 2026 with advancements from Unitree and AgiBot alone, according to the State of Robotics 2026 from the Robotics Center of Silicon Valley.
Three forces are powering China’s position at the top of the world’s robotics leader board. First is its supply chain integration in the Yangtze River Delta, home to motor, reducer, and sensor creator Unitree; component suppliers DJI and DeepSeek; and EV actuator makers. Second is China’s national policy coordination, which includes the Humanoid Robot Action Plan to deploy 100,000 humanoids by 2027. Third is demand-side scale with BYD, the world’s biggest electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer; CATL, a major battery manufacturer; and Foxconn, the world’s largest electronics contract manufacturer.
“A prototype that takes 12 weeks to produce in the U.S. or Germany is turned around in 10-14 days in Shenzhen, at a fraction of the cost,” the report explains. “The same EV component supply chain that made China the world’s largest car manufacturer now serves humanoids—actuators, gears, precision motors can often be repurposed directly between the two.”
The FCC did not name China in its announcement to ban foreign-made advanced robotics. But in a press conference at the Chinese Ministry of Commerce on 29 July, an official from the Chinese Communist Party said that the FCC’s actions in substance “discriminate against and suppress Chinese enterprises and products,” according to IEEE’s translation.
“China firmly opposes the U.S. overstretching the concept of national security and going after Chinese companies,” the official continued. “Protectionism does not make the U.S. more competitive and will only hurt the interests of U.S. companies and consumers. China will continue to do what is necessary to firmly defend the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies.”
While the FCC’s actions might address one area of risk, it might be too siloed of an approach. Kyle Chan, foreign policy fellow at the John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings, recently argued that the U.S. National Security Council should establish a government-wide process to evaluate risk from Chinese technology products, services, and investments.
“Because these questions span a wide range of domains, including national security, trade, and telecommunications, no single department has the institutional authority or expertise to manage them alone,” Chan explained. “Similar to [the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States], this process should draw on the expertise of multiple agencies while providing a clear mechanism for coordinating policy and resolving disagreements.”
The FCC’s decision will also likely disrupt U.S. researchers’ and startups’ ability to acquire humanoid robots from China, which they use to create new software and innovate for the U.S. marketplace.
“This announcement is more likely to inhibit the U.S. humanoid robotics industry, as the presence of low-cost Chinese humanoid robots has been helping educate the U.S. market through promotional and entertainment use cases—an effect this policy risks undermining,” said Rueben Scriven, senior research manager at Interact Analysis, in an interview with The Robot Report.
Other News to Note…
EBay harassment case comes to a close. EBay and three of its former executives will pay a total of $55.7 million to settle a civil lawsuit brought by two journalists that the company’s security team cyberstalked and harassed in 2019 in response to their coverage of eBay. After securing criminal convictions of the security personnel and a deferred prosecution agreement for eBay, ECommerceBytes founders David and Ina Steiner filed a civil lawsuit in 2021 against the company, its former CEO Devin Wenig, former CCO Steve Wymer, and former Senior Vice President of Global Operations Wendy Jones.
“We believe this resolution sends a clear message that corporations and their executives cannot engage in this type of misconduct without facing significant consequences,” said Christopher Murphy, partner at Scalli Murphy Law who represented the Steiners, in a statement.
EBay reiterated in a statement that its executives were never criminally charged in relation to the harassment campaign, but the company did condemn the tone they used to speak about the Steiners while the behavior played out.
“Since these events occurred, new leaders have joined the company and eBay has strengthened its policies, procedures, controls, and training consistent with the company’s ongoing commitment to uphold high standards of conduct and ethics,” eBay wrote. The company did not respond to Security Management’s request for more details on what these new changes entail.
CEO hit with terrorism charges. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) accused messaging app Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov of aiding terrorism. In a statement shared with the Associated Press, the FSB said that Telegram had failed to remove “numerous channels, chats, and bots” that were allegedly used by “Ukrainian intelligence agencies, terrorist, and extremist organizations to prepare and coordinate acts of sabotage and terrorism, mass murder, and cyber fraud” in Russia. If arrested and convicted, Duvol—who is based in the United Arab Emirates—would face up to life in prison. About 51 percent of Ukrainians use Telegram as their primary news source, according to a nationwide poll from September 2025.
House of Lords questions safety act enforcement. The UK enacted its Online Safety Act in 2025, which required millions of British adults to enroll in identity-check systems run by third-party vendors in the name of protecting children online. But how secure are those vendors and Ofcom, the regulator in charge of the act’s enforcement? The House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee opened an inquiry on 27 July 2026 to find out after hearing concerns that the act is not working as intended.
“Any law is only as good as its enforcement, and we want to know if it is doing enough to hold tech platforms to account,” said Baroness Barbara Keeley, chair of the committee, in a statement. “We will look at whether there are issues with the legislation itself that need to be addressed, both to improve online safety now and to ensure we are better prepared to tackle new harms that emerge in future.”
Speed Reads
Below is a quick recap of recent court cases, legislation, and regulations that affect the security industry and employers.
Court Cases
Cybercrime. The U.S. Department of Justice charged three Russian nationals and two companies for their alleged roles in conspiring to commit cybercrimes against U.S. companies and individuals, causing more than $62 million in losses.
Discrimination. Employees sued Meta Platforms—the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—for allegedly using AI-powered software to target people with disabilities or who took medical leave for mass layoffs. The lawsuit appears to be the first of its kind to allege a U.S. company used AI to identify employees for layoffs.
Gaming. The U.S. state of New York sued prediction market Kalshi, accusing it of operating an “illegal gambling operation” that ignores the state’s gaming laws.
Harassment. A UK tribunal ruled that a colleague sexually harassed Vicars Cross Healthcare security guard Georgiana Ursuleanu when he sent a message in a work group chat that included a GIF that said “b***h I am lying.” The message was in response to Ursuleanu’s reminder about fire safety checks before a National Health Service inspection.
Negligence. A Sri Lankan court sentenced former Police Chief Pujith Jayasundara and former Defense Ministry Secretary Hemasiri Fernando to death. The two men were previously convicted of criminal negligence for failing to act on intelligence warnings before Islamic State-inspired bombings in 2019 that killed more than 260 people.
Personal injury. U.S. Army soldier Benjamin Del Real, Jr., sued the U.S. Secret Service for striking him with a stray bullet while responding to a shooting outside the White House on 23 May 2026. The bullet hit Del Real’s stomach, causing serious injuries that required emergency surgery.
Preemption. A U.S. federal judge blocked the U.S. state of Minnesota from enforcing its new law that bans prediction markets. The judge issued a preliminary injunction on behalf of Kalshi, Polymarket, and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission after determining that U.S. federal law likely preempts Minnesota’s law.
Obstruction. U.S. federal prosecutors charged Samuel Tunick with obstruction for giving customs officers a passcode that activated software to erase the contents of his smartphone after they seized it at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
School shooting. Colt Gray, 16, pled guilty to 55 charges—including murder—for carrying out a 2024 shooting at Georgia’s Apalachee High School that killed two students and two teachers. A judge will now determine Gray’s sentencing after hearing victim statements and other evidence. Gray’s father, Colin Gray, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for providing his son with the firearm used to carry out the shooting.
Sedition. A U.S. federal judge dismissed a seditious conspiracy case against members of the extremist group the Oath Keepers following a Trump administration request. The defendants were to stand trial on charges related to planning the 6 January 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Terrorism. A U.S. federal jury convicted Hadi Matar, 28, of aiding a foreign terrorist group and carrying out the orders of the Iranian government when he stabbed author Salman Rushdie at a book retreat in 2022. The Iranian government issued a fatwa—a religious edict—against Rushdie after his novel The Satanic Verses was published in 1989.
Legislation
Counter-drone authority. Czech Interior Minister Lubomír Metnar and Transport Minister Ivan Bednárik introduced draft legislation to expand counter-drone measures to protect critical infrastructure. The bill would allow employees at critical infrastructure sites to disable or destroy drones they consider a threat.
Data protection. U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced the RECOVER PII Act to give victims of the 2015 U.S. Office of Personnel Management data breach identity protection benefits for life.
Social media. The French Parliament passed legislation that restricts access to social media for anyone under the age of 15—the first European country to pass such a ban. The legislation also bans cellphone use in high schools; the devices were already prohibited in primary and middle schools.
Telecoms. Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan unanimously passed a bill to modify the Telecommunications Management Act to let foreign companies bypass requirements to retain a Taiwanese chairperson and only hold a minority direct ownership share of the venture. The amended law would allow foreign satellite providers, like Starlink, to operate in Taiwan.
Vehicles. A U.S. Senate Committee approved a bill that would ban the import, sale, and operation of vehicles manufactured by companies that are considered “foreign entities of concern” based in adversarial nations like China.
Regulations
AI. Germany’s media regulator ruled that Google’s AI Overviews and Perplexity AI are subject to the country’s media laws. It clarified that Google is not shielded from liability for illegal user-generated content under the EU’s Digital Services Act.
Governance. Spain’s data privacy regulator fined 23andMe $2.7 million for maintaining cybersecurity practices and data safeguards that did not meet the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation requirements. These failures led to a breach of the genetic data company in April 2023, the regulator said.
Reporting requirements. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to rescind requirements for employers and other covered entities to file annual reports on their employees’ race and sex.
Supply chain. U.S. President Trump issued an executive order that makes it more difficult for defense contractors to secure waivers to purchase critical minerals and materials from prohibited foreign suppliers.
Wildfires. The U.S. state of California’s Public Utilities Commission is reviewing public comments on a proposed settlement agreement with Pacific Gas and Electric Co., which would fine the company $22 million for the 2022 Mosquito Fire that burned more than 75,000 acres. The commission will review and potentially adopt the settlement in a meeting on 13 August.
Thanks for reading! We’ll be back with more legal analysis in September!
What security-related regulatory developments are you following? Please email your thoughts to [email protected].
Megan Gates is the senior editor at Security Management. She’s been covering the intersection of law and security risk management for more than a decade. Connect with her via email or on LinkedIn.
