Amazon is currently being investigated for selling illegal electronic devices, including radio signal jamming devices that can be used to confuse drones, thwart security systems and interfere with Wi-Fi networks.
“We have several ongoing investigations into retailers, including Amazon, for potential violations of Commission rules related to the marketing and sale of equipment without proper FCC authorization,” the Federal Communications Commission has confirmed to the Daily News.
NBC News first reported the previously undisclosed investigation.
The FCC website details concerns presented by such illegal equipment, which include blocking 911 calls and interfering with police radar.
“The use of a phone jammer, GPS blocker, or other signal jamming device designed to intentionally block, jam or interfere with authorized radio communications is a violation of federal law,” regulators specify. “It is also unlawful to advertise, sell, distribute, import or otherwise market jamming devices to consumers in the United States.”
While the technology allegedly being marketed online isn’t necessarily new, the public interest in jamming devices is ongoing. Laws prohibiting the sale of such electronics have been on the books for 90 years, feds said.
Some of the technology being focused on by the FCC is cost-prohibitive for individual consumers, but could reportedly appeal to corporations with security concerns, reports NBC News.
Beyond Amazon, it’s not clear which retailers are allegedly selling the banned jamming equipment or what specific products are part of the FCC investigation. Amazon has not returned a request for comment.
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