Four States Sue TP-Link Over Router Security and China Ties

Florida, Montana, Iowa and Nebraska sued TP-Link on October 6, accusing the router maker of misleading consumers about product security and its business and supply-chain ties to China. The complaints seek court orders and consumer remedies, and the allegations have not been established in court. The states challenge TP-Link’s claims about routers and its HomeShield security service, which they say conveyed broad protection against online threats. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said some TP-Link routers had been exploited by Chinese state-sponsored hackers, and that certain models could not update automatically or were no longer supported by the company. Those statements describe allegations made by the state; the supplied reports do not establish them through independent technical findings. The complaints also dispute the company’s statements that it separated from its China-based operations and manufactures products for the U.S. market in Vietnam. According to the states, less than 1 percent of the value of components used at TP-Link’s Vietnam factory comes from Vietnam, with the other inputs imported from or through China.