The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is proposing a whopping $734,872 in fines against Eken, a Hong Kong-based video doorbell manufacturer, for violating rules related to device certifications. This comes on top of an ongoing investigation into security vulnerabilities in Eken's products, which were found to be susceptible to hackers.

In February 2024, Consumer Reports discovered that Eken's products, sold under multiple brand names, had security flaws that allowed hackers to access images from the video feed using just the doorbell's serial number. Eken claimed to have fixed the issues via a firmware update in April. However, the FCC's investigation revealed that the company had also failed to designate a US-based agent responsible for communicating with the commission, as required by FCC rules.

The FCC's enforcement bureau sent a letter to Eken's supposed US point of contact, only to find that the address had been inactive since 2019. The company's representative failed to respond to subsequent letters sent via email. As a result, the FCC is proposing three separate fines of $244,957 each for Eken's apparent violations of FCC rules.