Texas sues TP-Link alleging Chinese government access to its devices

WASHINGTON, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Texas ‌has sued TP-Link ​Systems ​for allegedly marketing its networking devices deceptively and allowing Beijing to access American consumers' devices, the state attorney general said ‌on Tuesday.

"Despite its claims of privacy and security, TP-Link’s products have ⁠been used by (China)’s state-sponsored hacking entities to launch multiple cyber-attack operations against the United ‌States," Texas Attorney General Ken ‌Paxton said in a press release announcing the lawsuit.

"With nearly all of its products’ parts imported from China, TP-Link’s deliberate deception towards Texans ​regarding the nationality, privacy, and security capabilities of its networking devices is not just illegal — it is also a national security threat that ⁠enables the secret surveillance and exploitation of Texas consumers," he added.

TP-Link Systems, a California-based router manufacturer ​spun off from a Chinese firm, said it would "vigorously defend" its reputation, adding that the Chinese government has no ​form of ownership or control over the ‌company, its products or user data.

It also said claims made by Texas are "without merit and will be proven false," ⁠noting that all its core operations and infrastructure are located within the United States, with U.S. user data stored on Amazon Web Services servers.

The Chinese Embassy in ⁠Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The lawsuit follows an investigation ​launched in October and is one of a series of actions against companies aligned with China, Paxton said. It also comes after Texas barred its employees from using ‌TP-Link last month and after Reuters reported that the Trump administration had paused its own proposed ban on ‌TP-Link sales in the U.S.

Paxton announced last April that he was launching a ⁠bid to unseat U.S. Senator ‌John Cornyn, a Texas ​Republican who is known for pushing tough-on-China policies.

(Reporting by Alexandra Alper in Washington, Editing by Franklin Paul, Matthew Lewis and ‌Diane Craft)

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