TP-Link problems in US grow amid FCC router ban and four state lawsuits

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TP-Link is facing more legal troubles in the US as Florida and three other states filed lawsuits alleging that it lied to consumers about its connections to China and the risks of its routers being exploited by Chinese state hackers. The lawsuits were filed yesterday, about six months after the Federal Communications Commission announced a sweeping ban on consumer-grade routers produced wholly or partly outside of the US.

TP-Link 在美国面临更多法律麻烦，佛罗里达州和其他三个州提起了诉讼，指控该公司在与中国的联系以及其路由器被中国国家黑客利用的风险方面对消费者撒谎。这些诉讼于昨天提起，大约在联邦通信委员会宣布全面禁止在美国境外全部或部分生产的消费级路由器六个月后。

Numerous router makers have obtained exemptions to the ban, but the Trump administration so far has not granted one to TP-Link. Router makers that received exemptions include Netgear, Asus, Adtran, Amazon and its Eero subsidiary, Calix, Nokia, SpaceX’s Starlink division, and others. For now, TP-Link is unable to sell its latest Wi-Fi 8 routers in the US, though models approved before the ban can still be sold.

许多路由器制造商已获得禁令豁免，但特朗普政府迄今尚未批准 TP-Link 的豁免申请。获得豁免的路由器制造商包括 Netgear、华硕、Adtran、亚马逊及其 Eero 子公司、Calix、诺基亚、SpaceX 的 Starlink 部门等。目前，TP-Link 无法在美国销售其最新的 Wi-Fi 8 路由器，但禁令前获批的型号仍可继续销售。

The state lawsuits claim that TP-Link misled US consumers by telling them its routers are safe. The suits allege that TP-Link committed unfair and deceptive trade acts in violation of the states’ consumer protection laws. “Chinese state-sponsored hackers exploited TP-Link routers sitting in American living rooms,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said while announcing his lawsuit filed in a Florida county court.

各州的诉讼声称，TP-Link 通过告知美国消费者其路由器是安全的，误导了消费者。诉讼指控 TP-Link 违反了各州的消费者保护法，实施了不公平和欺骗性的贸易行为。佛罗里达州总检察长詹姆斯·乌特迈尔在宣布其在佛罗里达州县法院提起的诉讼时表示：“中国国家支持的黑客利用了位于美国客厅里的 TP-Link 路由器。”

Uthmeier said Florida “will not allow families to be misled into handing their personal data to the Chinese Communist Party. We are seeking an injunction, restitution for Florida consumers, and [financial] penalties under Florida law.”

乌特迈尔表示，佛罗里达州“不会允许家庭被误导，从而将个人数据交给中国共产党。我们正在寻求禁令、为佛罗里达州消费者寻求赔偿，并根据佛罗里达州法律寻求（经济）处罚。”

TP-Link was founded in China but moved its headquarters to California in October 2024 amid investigations into high-profile attacks linked to the Chinese government, including a botnet composed mostly of TP-Link routers. The Florida lawsuit accuses TP-Link of “lying about the safety of its routers and its ties to the CCP,” Uthmeier said.

TP-Link 成立于中国，但于 2024 年 10 月将总部迁至加利福尼亚州，当时正值针对与中国政府有关的高调攻击（包括主要由 TP-Link 路由器组成的僵尸网络）进行调查之际。乌特迈尔说，佛罗里达州的诉讼指控 TP-Link “在路由器安全性和与中共的联系上撒谎”。

“The coordinated lawsuits are built on false premises,” said Steve Kovsky, TP-Link’s corporate affairs officer. “They do nothing to advance national security while unfairly penalizing an industry-leading US company.” TP-Link said that for the past few months it has “provided state regulators with clear, verifiable documentation demonstrating two fundamental facts: TP-Link Systems devices sold in the US are manufactured in Vietnam and TP-Link Systems is an independent, US company that is not owned or controlled by any foreign government.”

“这些协调一致的诉讼建立在虚假的前提之上，”TP-Link 企业事务官史蒂夫·科夫斯基表示。“它们对提升国家安全毫无帮助，反而不公平地惩罚了一家行业领先的美国公司。”TP-Link 表示，在过去几个月里，它“向州监管机构提供了清晰、可验证的文件，证明了两个基本事实：在美国销售的 TP-Link Systems 设备是在越南制造的，且 TP-Link Systems 是一家独立的美国公司，不被任何外国政府拥有或控制。”

Uthmeier said TP-Link’s claim of splitting from China and building products in Vietnam is “fiction” and that “research and manufacturing remain rooted in China.” The Florida lawsuit said that “final assembly of components sourced from or through China in Vietnam does not cure the company’s deceptive statements and material omissions regarding its Chinese dependence and affiliations.”

乌特迈尔称，TP-Link 关于脱离中国并在越南制造产品的说法是“虚构的”，并表示“研发和制造仍然扎根于中国”。佛罗里达州的诉讼称，“在越南对从中国采购或经由中国采购的组件进行最终组装，并不能弥补该公司在对其中国依赖和从属关系方面所作的欺骗性陈述和重大遗漏。”

“TP-Link does not disclose to consumers that it has ongoing ties to a Chinese military contractor, and that its products are vulnerable to exploitation by Russian intelligence and state-affiliated Chinese hackers,” Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers’ office said.

内布拉斯加州总检察长迈克·希尔格斯的办公室表示：“TP-Link 没有向消费者披露其与中国军事承包商的持续联系，也没有披露其产品容易受到俄罗斯情报机构和中国国家附属黑客利用的事实。”

Meanwhile, there has been little news on TP-Link’s attempt to secure an FCC exemption from the foreign router ban. In April, TP-Link met with officials in FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s office. The company told Carr’s staff that it “is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to bring manufacturing and research and development of its consumer routers to the US, in alignment with the FCC’s policy goals.”

与此同时，关于 TP-Link 试图获得 FCC 外国路由器禁令豁免的消息寥寥无几。今年 4 月，TP-Link 与 FCC 主席布伦丹·卡尔办公室的官员进行了会面。该公司告诉卡尔的工作人员，它“正在投资数亿美元，将消费级路由器的制造和研发引入美国，以符合 FCC 的政策目标。”