Key facts
- Florida and three other states sued TP-Link alleging deceptive trade practices and hidden security risks.
- The lawsuits claim TP-Link lied to consumers about its connections to China and the risk of its routers being exploited by Chinese state hackers.
- Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier stated that TP-Link's claim of splitting from China and building products in Vietnam is "fiction".
- TP-Link stated that its US devices are manufactured in Vietnam and that it is an independent US company not controlled by any foreign government.
- The FCC has banned consumer-grade routers produced wholly or partly outside of the US, and TP-Link has not yet obtained an exemption.
- TP-Link is unable to sell its latest Wi-Fi 8 routers in the US.
Florida and three other states have filed lawsuits against TP-Link, alleging the company misled consumers about its connections to China and the security risks associated with its routers. The suits claim TP-Link engaged in unfair and deceptive trade acts, potentially exposing consumers' personal data to Chinese state hackers.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced his state's lawsuit, stating that "Chinese state-sponsored hackers exploited TP-Link routers sitting in American living rooms." He added that Florida "will not allow families to be misled into handing their personal data to the Chinese Communist Party." The state is seeking an injunction, restitution for consumers, and financial penalties.
TP-Link, which moved its headquarters to California in October 2024 amid investigations, has criticized the lawsuits. "The coordinated lawsuits are built on false premises," said Steve Kovsky, TP-Link’s corporate affairs officer. "They do nothing to advance national security while unfairly penalizing an industry-leading US company." TP-Link asserts that its US devices are manufactured in Vietnam and that it is an independent US company not owned or controlled by any foreign government.
However, Florida AG Uthmeier called TP-Link's defense "fiction," asserting that research and manufacturing remain rooted in China. The lawsuit cites a Bloomberg article stating that "aside from components bought in Vietnam that account for 0.5 percent of the total value of inputs to the plant there, all other components are imported from China."
The lawsuits also note that US government officials previously weighed banning TP-Link routers due to "unacceptable risk" to national security and pointed to statements about Russian intelligence exploiting vulnerabilities in TP-Link routers. Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers' office stated that TP-Link "does not disclose to consumers that it has ongoing ties to a Chinese military contractor, and that its products are vulnerable to exploitation by Russian intelligence and state-affiliated Chinese hackers."
Meanwhile, TP-Link is seeking an exemption from the FCC's ban on consumer-grade routers produced outside the US. The company met with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr's office in April, stating it was investing in US manufacturing and R&D and already employed over 550 people in the US. The FCC process requires a determination from the Department of Defense or Homeland Security that devices do not pose national security risks.