Texas sues TP-Link, alleging Chinese government access to its devices
The move comes despite the Trump administration having reportedly paused its own proposed ban on the company’s sales in the US
Texas has sued TP-Link Systems for allegedly marketing its networking devices deceptively and allowing Beijing to access American consumers’ devices, the state attorney general said on Tuesday.
“Despite its claims of privacy and security, TP-Link’s products have been used by [China’s] state-sponsored hacking entities to launch multiple cyberattack operations against the United States,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a press release announcing the lawsuit.
“With nearly all of its products’ parts imported from China, TP-Link’s deliberate deception towards Texans regarding the nationality, privacy, and security capabilities of its networking devices is not just illegal – it is also a national security threat that enables the secret surveillance and exploitation of Texas consumers,” he added.
TP-Link Systems, a California-based router manufacturer spun off from a Chinese firm, said it would “vigorously defend” its reputation, adding that the Chinese government had no form of ownership or control over the company, its products or user data.
It also said claims made by Texas were “without merit and will be proven false”, noting that all its core operations and infrastructure were located within the United States, with US user data stored on Amazon Web Services servers.
The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.