TP-Link is facing more legal troubles in the US as Florida and three other states filed lawsuits alleging that it lied to consumers about its connections to China and the risks of its routers being exploited by Chinese state hackers.<\/p>\n
The lawsuits were filed yesterday, about six months after the Federal Communications Commission announced a sweeping ban<\/a> on consumer-grade routers produced wholly or partly outside of the US. Numerous router makers have obtained exemptions to the ban, but the Trump administration so far has not granted one to TP-Link.<\/p>\n Router makers that received exemptions include<\/a> Netgear, Asus, Adtran, Amazon and its Eero subsidiary, Calix, Nokia, SpaceX\u2019s Starlink division, and others. For now, TP-Link is unable to sell its latest Wi-Fi 8 routers in the US, though models approved before the ban can still be sold.<\/p>\n The state lawsuits claim that TP-Link misled US consumers by telling them its routers are safe. The suits allege that TP-Link committed unfair and deceptive trade acts in violation of the states\u2019 consumer protection laws.<\/p>\n \u201cChinese state-sponsored hackers exploited TP-Link routers sitting in American living rooms,\u201d Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said<\/a> while announcing his lawsuit<\/a> filed in a Florida county court. Uthmeier said Florida \u201cwill not allow families to be misled into handing their personal data to the Chinese Communist Party. We are seeking an injunction, restitution for Florida consumers, and [financial] penalties under Florida law.\u201d<\/p>\n TP-Link criticizes coordinated lawsuits<\/p>\n TP-Link was founded in China but moved<\/a> its headquarters to California in October 2024 amid investigations into high-profile attacks<\/a> linked to the Chinese government, including a botnet<\/a> composed mostly of TP-Link routers. The Florida lawsuit accuses TP-Link of \u201clying about the safety of its routers and its ties to the CCP,\u201d Uthmeier said.<\/p>\n Uthmeier was one of four Republican state attorneys general to sue TP-Link yesterday. Lawsuits were also filed against TP-Link by Montana<\/a>, Iowa<\/a>, and Nebraska<\/a>.<\/p>\n