WASHINGTON, Feb 17 (Reuters) – Texas has sued TP-Link Systems for allegedly deceptively marketing its network equipment and allowing Beijing to access U.S. consumers’ devices, the state’s attorney general said on Tuesday.
“Despite TP-Link’s stated focus on privacy and security, its products have been used by (Chinese) state-sponsored hacking entities to launch multiple cyberattacks against the United States,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a press release announcing the lawsuit.
He added: “TP-Link, which imports nearly all of its product components from China, knowingly deceives Texans about the nationality, privacy and security features of its network equipment, is not only illegal but a national security threat that allows for covert surveillance and exploitation of Texas consumers.”
The Chinese Embassy in Washington and TP-Link Systems, a California router maker spun out of a Chinese company, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Paxton said the lawsuit follows an investigation launched in October and is one of a series of actions targeting companies aligned with China. Last month, Texas banned its employees from using TP-Link, and Reuters reported that the Trump administration had suspended its proposal to sell TP-Link in the United States.
Paxton announced last April that he would launch a campaign to oust U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican known for his hard-line policies toward China.
(Reporting by Alexandra Alper in Washington; Editing by Franklin Paul and Matthew Lewis)
