Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing TP-Link over claims that the router-maker is misleading customers about its ties to China. In a lawsuit filed this week, Paxton claims TP-Link is “masking its Chinese connections,” while serving as “an open window for Chinese-sponsored threat actors and Chinese intelligence agencies.”
Though TP-Link markets its routers and other products as “Made in Vietnam,” Paxton alleges that the company sources “nearly all” of the components used to manufacture these items from China. “The reality is that TP-Link continues to operate its supply-chain deep inside of China, with China’s support, and through Chinese exports,” the lawsuit claims. “The final touches TP-Link makes in Vietnam do not cure the company’s deceit of its Chinese affiliations.”
TP-Link’s ties to China have drawn closer scrutiny from the Trump administration, culminating in an investigation from the Federal Trade Commission, according to Bloomberg, and a probe opened by Texas in October. Texas alleges that TP-Link violates consumer protection laws by misrepresenting its products as “secure,” despite having alleged vulnerabilities, and misleading customers about its affiliation with China.
The Texas lawsuit against TP-Link is part of the state’s broader efforts to crack down on Chinese companies. On Wednesday, Paxton also filed a lawsuit against Anzu Robotics, a Texas-based drone company that he alleges is “misleading consumers about the origin, data practices, and security risks” of its devices. Paxton alleges Anzu’s devices are “rebranded” drones made by DJI, the China-based company that the Federal Communications Commission recently banned from importing new drones into the US.