Chairman Carr Announces Six Months of Operation Clean Carts Success
Millions of Insecure Devices Removed From E-Commerce Platforms and Best Practices Developed in Ongoing Oversight Efforts.
   
WASHINGTON, May 4, 2026— Today, the Federal Communications Commission provides an update on six months of successful results from Operation Clean Carts.  Led by the FCC’s Council on National Security, the FCC launched Operation Clean Carts to rid e-commerce platforms of unauthorized covered equipment.  After six months, the leading e-commerce companies have removed over 3 million listings for illegal, dangerous devices and continue to update their screening best practices.

Chairman Carr issued the following statement:

“Operation Clean Carts has been and will continue to be a huge win for the American people, by limiting the sale of insecure gear online.  We commend e-commerce platforms for working with us and developing best practices, and we urge other online sellers to follow suit.” 

Additional Background Information:

Federal law prohibits the sale or marketing of electronic equipment and devices on the agency’s Covered List, found to pose national security risks.  Six months ago, the FCC announced the initial success of Operation Clean Carts, a coordinated enforcement/engagement initiative to protect American consumers by reducing the online availability of illegal electronic devices.  This operation continues to reap rewards for the American people.  

Over the last six months, online marketplaces have collectively removed or blocked over 3 million product listings associated with insecure “covered” equipment.  Since each listing can result in many sales, the actual number of devices removed from sale is likely significantly higher.  Moreover, participating e-commerce platforms have voluntarily strengthened their compliance programs with automated detection, enhanced product vetting, rapid delisting mechanisms, third-party seller education, and ongoing improvements to internal compliance.  The FCC has encouraged and witnessed the development of several practices that could benefit the entire e-commerce ecosystem:

· Using AI and machine-learning tools to identify potentially unlawful devices through text, image, and metadata searches, even where third-party sellers use evasive tactics (such as misspelled or abbreviated brand names, image manipulation, or the purposeful misclassification of devices in unrelated categories to avoid detection).

· Verifying FCC authorization, including cross-checking FCC IDs against the equipment authorization system and collecting the needed information to ensure the device is FCC compliant. 

· Enhanced third-party seller vetting, including stricter onboarding requirements, verification of brand authorization, and gating of higher‑risk product categories by requiring pre‑approval and additional compliance documentation before products can be listed.

· Strong takedown and re-listing prevention systems, including the use of automated suppression, product‑level and seller‑level restrictions, and updated detection patterns to stop attempts to relist prohibited products under different names or categories.

· Expanded education and communication channels, including updated compliance guidance, streamlined FCC‑to‑platform coordination, and more accessible information to support timely removals and ongoing program improvements.

The FCC will continue periodic monitoring of unauthorized devices, especially covered equipment, being sold on major e-commerce platforms and will also continue to work closely with platforms to ensure compliance with federal rules and to protect our nation's consumers and communications networks from existing and emerging threats. 

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Media Contact: MediaRelations@fcc.gov / (202) 418-0500
@FCC / www.fcc.gov