Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers filed a lawsuit Oct. 6 against TP-Link Systems Inc. under the state's Consumer Act and Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act. His office says TP-Link controls at least 60 percent of the U.S. retail market for Wi-Fi systems and small-office and home-office routers and sells through major retailers in Nebraska.
The complaint alleges TP-Link misled consumers by saying its routers are safe and secure and that it has severed ties to China. The attorney general says the company still depends on research, development and manufacturing in China, imports most components for its Vietnam plant from or through China, and hired a contractor with ties to the Chinese military to build that plant. He also says the products are vulnerable to exploitation by Russian intelligence.
The state seeks to stop TP-Link from making what it calls misleading claims and to inform consumers of the alleged risks. It also seeks civil penalties and fees. These are allegations in a lawsuit, and the release does not include a response from TP-Link or any court ruling.
The Nebraska release says the suit follows similar actions against makers and sellers of surveillance equipment. Consumers who own a router should keep its firmware updated and change default passwords; those steps are general advice, not part of the Nebraska filing.