US Lawmakers, Citing Security Issues, Want TP-Link Routers Banned

2025-11-17 07:01:14

(MENAFN- Asia Times) A group of lawmakers has urged the United States Commerce Department to investigate and potentially ban the sale of networking products from TP‐Link Technologies by the end of this month, as these products may pose a“serious and present danger” to US information and communications-technology security.

In a formal letter to US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the bipartisan group of senators and representatives said TP-Link's networking equipment, including routers and internet-connected cameras, is designed, developed, manufactured or supplied by a company with deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). They said the equipment could be used to spy on US military personnel, critical infrastructure and households alike.

“Reports indicate that TP-Link is rapidly expanding its share of the US market for internet-connected security cameras,” said the US lawmakers.“Right now, nothing stops CCP-tied companies from spying on Americans through internet-connected cameras in our homes. The Chinese Communist Party can capture and exploit these videos to track, blackmail or extort US citizens, including top government and military officials.”

The members of Congress said the Commerce Department should assess the national-security risks posed by TP-Link's internet-connected cameras and determine whether information and communications-technology security authorities are sufficient to mitigate those risks.

They requested an assessment by November 30, and asked Commerce to consider:

making recommendations on whether TP-Link should be added to the Federal Communications Commission's Covered List,
conducting a study on the broader risks posed by CCP-linked camera manufacturers, and
recommending that additional public advisories be issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security.

They added that any action targeting TP-Link could mark the largest removal of Chinese telecommunications equipment from the US market since Washington's crackdown on Huawei Technologies in 2019.

In May, a group of US lawmakers led by Senator Tom Cotton in a letter urged the Commerce Department to immediately prohibit future sales of TP-Link small and home office networking equipment in the US due to national security concerns.

In November 2022, the FCC banned the sale and importation of new telecommunications and video surveillance equipment from several Chinese companies, including Huawei, ZTE, Hikvision and Dahua, citing national security risks. Still, TP-Link's share in the US router market kept growing to more than 60%.

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