Texas Sues TP-Link Over Chinese Connections

Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against TP-Link, accusing the company of deceiving customers about its ties to China and exposing consumers to cybersecurity risks. According to the lawsuit, TP-Link is hiding its Chinese connections and serving as an entry point for Chinese intelligence. Although TP-Link was founded in China, it has sought to distance itself by establishing a manufacturing facility in Vietnam in 2018 and moving its global headquarters to the U.S. in 2024 under TP-Link Systems. Despite marketing products as “Made in Vietnam,” the lawsuit alleges that nearly all components are sourced from China, maintaining a deep supply-chain there. TP-Link’s affiliations with China have attracted scrutiny, including a Federal Trade Commission investigation and a lawsuit from Texas alleging violations of consumer protection laws by misrepresenting product security and Chinese associations. This lawsuit is part of Texas’s wider crackdown on Chinese companies, including a recent suit against Anzu Robotics, accusing it of misleading consumers about its product origins and security risks, with claims that its devices are rebranded drones from DJI, a company the FCC has banned for new imports into the U.S.