owa is one of the states that is suing TP Link Systems which makes internet routers. Attorney General Brenna Bird says the consumer protection lawsuit based on the company’s affiliation with China.
“There are some companies that operate in the United States. They sell important products right here in Iowa, and they have deep ties to the Chinese government. And so I am suing these China-backed companies that are hurting Iowans because China has no business in Iowans homes,” she says.
Bird says the company tries to act like it doesn’t have a link to China. “But that is not the truth. And we know that routers are really important. There’s a lot of information that goes back and forth on routers. And if that is compromised, that data could be available even to the Chinese government,” Bird says.
Bird says the company has the potential to be a big threat to America. “TP Link, this router company, they’re big. They control at least 60% of the United States retail market for routers for homes and small offices,” she says. Bird says it’s important to let people know about the potential danger. “The federal government has already said that these companies that they are affiliated with pose a national security risk,” she says.
Bird says TP Link claims their routers are secure and are made in Vietnam, but 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.
