House Bill Introduced to Deter Import of Counterfeit Microchips
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, introduced legislation that he said would stop the flow of more than a million counterfeit microchips into the U.S., primarily made in China, that "pose a risk to our military and sensitive computer networks." McCaul heads the House Homeland Security Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee.
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The bill would reverse a Department of Homeland Security policy implemented in 2008 that "hinders American companies from positively identifying whether a suspected chip is their product or a rogue counterfeit," he said in a statement. "This flawed policy has opened the floodgates for corrupt microchips to enter the United States," McCaul said. Calling the policy a "tremendous national security risk to our military and our intelligence networks," he said the industry has the ability to detect the counterfeit chips, but "the government is standing in the way. The policy has to be reversed." DHS helps chipmakers verify authenticity, he said, but in 2008 the department stopped sending companies photos with serial numbers and other identifying information, which is necessary for a company to determine whether a product is authentic or counterfeit. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon, R-Calif., and Homeland Security Oversight Ranking Member Bill Keating, D-Mass., are original co-sponsors of the measure.