Florida Sues TP-Link Over Router Security Claims and China Ties

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed a civil lawsuit against TP-Link, the Wi-Fi router maker, accusing the company of misleading customers about the security of its products and about how closely it remains tied to China.

The lawsuit was filed in Polk County as part of Florida’s 10th Judicial Circuit. According to Florida Politics, it alleges that TP-Link falsely told consumers that its routers and its HomeShield security service covered every security scenario and provided total protection.

“Those claims are not true, and we are bringing the lawsuit against TP-Link,” Uthmeier said in a recorded video statement.

In a post on X announcing the suit, Uthmeier wrote that “TP-Link sold Floridians the digital front door to their home network while misrepresenting how secure it was, how separated the company was from China, and what could happen to their data.”

Uthmeier said the vulnerabilities have already been exploited. “Chinese state-sponsored hackers exploited TP-Link routers sitting in American living rooms. Many of those models cannot update themselves automatically, and TP-Link has stopped supporting them,” he said.

Disputed Claims About Vietnam Manufacturing

The lawsuit also takes aim at TP-Link’s public statements about its corporate structure. The company has said it split from China and manufactures its U.S. products in Vietnam, but Uthmeier rejected that account.

“They also told Floridians they had split from China and that they build U.S. products in Vietnam. That is fiction. Research and manufacturing remain rooted in China. Less than one percent of the parts in that Vietnam plant actually come from Vietnam.”

“We will not allow families to be misled into handing their personal data to the Chinese Communist Party,” Uthmeier said.

Through the lawsuit, Uthmeier is seeking an injunction against TP-Link, restitution for Florida consumers, and penalties under state law. “We are seeking an injunction, restitution for Florida consumers and the penalties under Florida law,” he said.

Part of a Broader Pattern

The TP-Link suit follows another high-profile legal action from Uthmeier’s office: a shareholder lawsuit against the New York Times alleging that anti-Israel bias in its coverage has harmed investors. Uthmeier has said that case is not about challenging editorial discretion but about corporate governance obligations to shareholders, citing what he described as 72 corrections in a single coverage area over eight months tied to reporting that was later retracted.