TP-Link Sued by Four U.S. States Over Router Security and China Ties

TP-Link is facing further legal trouble in the United States after Florida and three other states sued the company, accusing it of misleading consumers about its ties to China and the risk that its routers could be exploited by Chinese state-sponsored hackers.

The lawsuit was filed yesterday, about six months after the Federal Communications Commission announced a blanket ban on consumer routers manufactured outside the United States, either wholly or in part. Although several router manufacturers have received exemptions from the ban, the Trump administration has not granted one to TP-Link.

Manufacturers that have received exemptions include Netgear, Asus, Adtran, Amazon and its Eero subsidiary, Calix, Nokia, and SpaceX’s Starlink division, among others. TP-Link currently cannot sell its latest Wi-Fi 8 routers in the U.S., although models approved before the ban can still be sold.

The state lawsuit alleges that TP-Link misled U.S. consumers by claiming its routers were secure. It accuses the company of violating each state’s consumer protection laws and engaging in unfair and deceptive trade practices.

“Chinese state-sponsored hackers exploited TP-Link routers in American living rooms,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said while announcing the state’s lawsuit, filed in a Florida county court.

“Florida will not allow families to be misled into giving their personal data to the Chinese Communist Party,” Uthmeier said. “We are seeking an injunction, compensation, and damages for Florida consumers.” The lawsuit also seeks penalties under Florida law.

TP-Link criticizes joint lawsuit

TP-Link was founded in China but moved its headquarters to California in October 2024 amid an investigation into high-profile attacks linked to the Chinese government, including a botnet made up mostly of TP-Link routers.

The Florida lawsuit accuses TP-Link of “lying about the security of its routers and its ties to the Chinese Communist Party,” according to Uthmeier.

Uthmeier was one of four Republican state attorneys general who sued TP-Link yesterday. Additional lawsuits were filed by attorneys general in Montana, Iowa, and Nebraska.

“The collective action is built on a false premise,” said Steve Kofsky, TP-Link’s corporate affairs officer, in a statement. “It does nothing to advance national security while unfairly punishing industry-leading U.S. companies.”

TP-Link said it has provided state regulators with documentation showing that TP-Link Systems devices sold in the United States are manufactured in Vietnam and that TP-Link Systems is an independent U.S. company not owned or controlled by a foreign government.