Attorney General Brenna Bird Sues TP-Link Systems for Violating Iowa Consumer Fraud Act and Allowing China Access to Iowans’ Routers
DES MOINES—Attorney General Brenna Bird announced today she has sued TP-Link Systems for deceiving Iowans about the origin and safety of their routers. TP-Link has hidden its ties to China and the potential that the Chinese Communist Party could access Iowans’ devices. This is the first in a series of actions Attorney General Bird will take against businesses aligned with Communist China in the next week to protect Iowans from secret surveillance and exploitation while shining a light on a potential national security risk.
TP-Link Systems controls 60 percent of the American market for network devices like routers and is the dominant player in the US networking and smart home market. TP-Link repeatedly claims that its routers are safe and secure. They claim their products have “[e]asy wireless security encryption at a push of [a] WPS button,” provide “secure Wi-Fi access for guests,” and offer “Refined Password Security” and a “New Level of Cyber Security” all while hiding from Iowans its connections to the communist Chinese government.
But much of TP-Link’s research, development, and manufacturing remains in China, with the company’s leadership acknowledging positive recognitions and subsidies from the Chinese government. TP-Link claims their routers are secure and are made in Vietnam: however, they are manufactured with nearly all parts imported from or through China, using firmware that gives the Communist Chinese government access to Iowans’ devices and data.
“Iowans’ sensitive data and our national security is at risk because of TP-link and their connection to the communist Chinese government,” said Attorney General Bird. “TP-link tells Iowans its routers are safe, our personal data is secure, and that they have no ties to China. They are not telling the truth. It’s time to hold China and China-backed companies accountable.”
The Federal Communications Commissions’ Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau has warned that “[c]ompromised routers can enable in-depth network surveillance, data exfiltration, botnet attacks, and unauthorized access to U.S. government or American businesses’ networks.” Further, the National Security Agency and Microsoft have both reported that TP-link routers had security vulnerabilities that were exploited by Chinese state hackers to weaponize consumers’ routers and to attack American organizations. The Iowa Attorney General’s office is suing today to address those risks and ensure that Iowans will no longer be misled and can make informed decisions about the technology they choose for their home.
Read the full petition here.
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For More Information:
Contact: Jen Green | jen.green@ag.iowa.gov
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