TP-Link has pledged to assemble routers in the United States to gain favor with the Trump administration, amid ongoing security investigations. The company faces a ban on selling its latest routers in the US, while rivals like Netgear and Asus have received exemptions. TP-Link urged the administration to apply consistent review standards, emphasizing that its US products use encrypted data housed on Amazon Web Services infrastructure in Virginia.
The company denies sharing data with foreign governments. However, TP-Link faces opposition from Republican state attorneys general. AGs from Florida, Montana, Iowa, and Nebraska sued the company this month, alleging it misled consumers about its Chinese connections and security risks.
A coalition of 21 Republican AGs also questioned TP-Link's claims regarding router security and independence from China, urging the FCC to require remedies and protect users from exploitation by the Chinese Communist Party. These legal and regulatory challenges highlight the tension between TP-Link's operational shifts and persistent geopolitical scrutiny over its hardware.
Source: Ars Technica · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing