- Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier sued TP-Link, saying the company hid risks tied to its routers and its ties to China.
- The case follows earlier reviews from Texas, Montana, Iowa, and Nebraska, plus concerns raised by U.S. lawmakers.
- TP-Link denies every claim. The company says its U.S. business runs on its own and its routers come from Vietnam.
Florida just took TP-Link to court. The state says the router maker lied about safety and about who really controls the company. This fight did not start today. Other states and federal officials raised red flags about TP-Link long before this lawsuit.
Florida Files a New Lawsuit
Attorney General James Uthmeier filed the case on October 6. The lawsuit runs 59 pages long. It names TP-Link Systems as the defendant. The suit claims TP-Link misled buyers about product safety. It also claims the company hid how close it really is to China.
Uthmeier compared TP-Link routers to a front door into people’s homes, according to Florida Politics. He argued the company oversold how secure that door really was. He also argued TP-Link was not as separate from China as it claimed. The lawsuit was filed in Polk County. It asks for penalties under Florida’s consumer protection laws.
The complaint makes a few specific claims. It says TP-Link oversold the protection offered by its routers and its HomeShield security service. It also says hackers linked to the Chinese state have exploited TP-Link devices in the past. Some older router models no longer get support or automatic updates, the lawsuit adds.
These remain allegations for now. Florida has not proven any of them in court. TP-Link has not been found guilty of anything yet.
This is not a new concern, either. Florida sent TP-Link a formal records request back in December 2025, according to the state’s filing. That request asked for details on company ownership, security steps, supply chains, and how TP-Link handles data from U.S. customers. A records request on its own does not mean wrongdoing took place. It simply opens the door for a closer look.
TP-Link Pushes Back Hard
TP-Link rejects every claim in the lawsuit. The company released a statement on October 6. It called the matching lawsuits from Florida, Montana, Iowa, and Nebraska built on false claims, based on TP-Link’s own statement.
TP-Link Systems says it runs as an independent U.S. company. It says neither the Chinese government nor the Chinese Communist Party owns or controls it. The company also says every TP-Link device sold in the United States comes from factories in Vietnam, not China.
This dispute has been building for months. Texas sued TP-Link back in February 2026. That case claimed TP-Link used deceptive marketing and left devices open to access by Chinese government actors. TP-Link denied those claims too. Reuters reported that Texas opened an investigation into TP-Link before filing suit, based on Reuters’ report.
U.S. lawmakers raised similar worries even earlier. Back in 2024, members of Congress pushed for a formal probe into TP-Link over fears tied to Chinese cyber activity, according to an earlier Reuters report.
Iowa has also filed its own case against the company, claiming TP-Link violated the state’s consumer fraud laws, based on a notice from the Iowa Attorney General’s office. Four states have now filed similar complaints against the company, according to Law360.
People React Online, but Not All Claims Check Out
News of the lawsuit spread fast on X. Some users asked honest questions. One user wanted a clear, factual breakdown of the actual risks tied to TP-Link routers. Another user suggested switching to a different router brand entirely, such as Ubiquiti.
Other posts went further without showing any proof. One user claimed TP-Link updates deliberately slowed down router speeds on purpose. That same post claimed older routers became hard to restore after updates. No source reviewed for this story backs up that claim. It should not be treated as part of Florida’s actual case.
Some reactions offered practical advice instead. One user urged small businesses running TP-Link gear to review their networks carefully. Another user recommended keeping smart home devices on a separate network from anything sensitive.
There is real, documented evidence tied to TP-Link security problems. TP-Link has also patched multiple security flaws in its Omada networking products, including 15 Omada flaws that could let hackers compromise entire networks.
Researchers have reported that TP-Link routers were targeted in real attacks, including past coverage of federal scrutiny into the company. That kind of evidence shows TP-Link gear has faced genuine security issues in the past.
Still, that evidence alone does not prove TP-Link gave China deliberate access to user data. It also does not prove the company weakened its products on purpose. Those are much bigger claims, and they remain unproven.
The Florida case now moves into the court system. Judges will weigh Florida’s claims against TP-Link’s denials. Evidence from both sides will get tested in the months ahead. For now, routers keep running in millions of homes while the legal fight plays out in the background.
Share this article
About the Author
Rebecca James is an IT consultant with forward thinking approach toward developing IT infrastructures of SMEs. She writes to engage with individuals and raise awareness of digital security, privacy, and better IT infrastructure.
More from Rebecca JamesRelated Posts
Microsoft Warns Hackers are Using AI to Speed Up Cyberattacks
Microsoft declared that threat actors are presently reaping AI advantages at a faster pace with rega...
Signal Expands Encrypted Backups and Private iPhone Transfers in Version 8.30
Signal version 8.30 adds on-device backups to iOS and Signal Desktop. The update separates media fil...
Hacker Claims 4.5 Million Records Linked to Italian Hotel Software Firm WuBook Leaked
An underground forum user says they leaked 4.5 million names and IDs tied to WuBook, an Italian hote...
Armenian Ryuk Ransomware Hacker Sentenced to 2 Years in US Prison
Armenian national Karen Vardanyan received 24 months in prison and three years of supervised release...
Leaked EU Draft Could Let AI Companies Use Personal Data Without Consent
A leaked EU document could let AI companies use personal data without your consent. The draft remove...
Dark Web Seller Claims Android 14–16 Zero-Day Exploit Chain is for Sale
A dark web operator, xynapse, offers an unconfirmed zero-day exploit chain for Android versions 14 t...
