Florida sues TP-Link for ‘lying about the safety of its routers’
Florida and three other states have sued the company on the grounds that it's misleading their citizens about the security of its products and its ties with China.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed a lawsuit against TP-Link, alleging that the company has been dishonest about the safety of its routers and its relationship with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In a video posted on X, Uthmeier stated that TP-Link's claims of having secure routers are false. The lawsuit claims that TP-Link misled Floridians about the security of its routers, its separation from China, and the potential risks to their data.
According to Uthmeier, Chinese state-sponsored hackers have exploited TP-Link routers in American homes, as many models cannot update themselves automatically, and the company has ceased supporting them. TP-Link has also claimed to have severed ties with a Chinese company, despite Pentagon designations and research showing that manufacturing remains in China.
The federal government began investigating TP-Link in 2024, with the Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, and Department of Justice looking into potential unfair trade practices and threats to national security. Although TP-Link tried to distance itself from its Chinese parent company and began making routers in Vietnam since 2018, it remains a target due to its alleged connections to Beijing.
Other states, including Iowa, Nebraska, and Montana, have also joined Florida in suing TP-Link for similar reasons, aiming to protect their citizens from the Chinese Communist Party.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Hardware's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
