Source: The Register
The FCC’s prohibition on foreign-made home routers is being criticized as protectionism wrapped in security language—a pattern that undermines genuine trust in security regulation when governments use it to shield domestic manufacturers rather than users. As geopolitical tensions drive supply chain nationalism, the distinction between legitimate security standards and market manipulation is collapsing, creating regulatory whiplash that could actually weaken security by fragmenting global standards and incentivizing companies to lobby for barriers instead of innovating. This signals a broader erosion of techno-multilateralism: when security governance becomes visibly transactional, both allies and adversaries lose confidence in the institutions meant to coordinate protection.