Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a civil lawsuit against the Wi-Fi router manufacturer TP-Link on Tuesday (October 6). The lawsuit alleges that TP-Link misled Florida consumers about the security of its products and its ties to China.
Uthmeier submitted a 59-page lawsuit to the Polk County Circuit Court in Florida.
In a recorded video statement, he said, “TP-Link sells digital gateways for home networks to Florida residents, falsely claiming that their products are secure and reliable while concealing the company’s (non)independence from (Communist) China and the potential risks to user data.”
Uthmeier pointed out that TP-Link engaged in false advertising, claiming that its routers and HomeShield security service could cover all security scenarios and provide 100% protection.
“These claims are false, and we will bring a lawsuit against TP-Link,” the Florida Attorney General said. “Hackers supported by the Chinese (Communist) government use TP-Link routers in American living rooms to launch attacks. Many router models cannot be automatically updated, and TP-Link has ceased support for these models.”
“They also told Florida residents that TP-Link has severed ties with China and produces American products in Vietnam. This is purely fictional. Research and production still take place in China. Less than 1% of the components produced in Vietnamese factories originate from Vietnam,” Uthmeier added.
The lawsuit states that TP-Link’s actions endanger the internet connectivity security of consumers and unknowingly make consumers participants in malicious attacks by foreign governments.
“We will not allow families to be misled and hand over personal data to the Chinese Communist Party. We are seeking injunctions, demanding compensation for the losses of Florida consumers, and holding relevant parties accountable under Florida law,” Uthmeier stated.
This lawsuit against TP-Link is the latest in a series of lawsuits brought by Uthmeier against multiple technology companies over the past year.
TP-Link routers hold about 65% of the market share in the US home and small business router market due to their low prices. Additionally, it is the preferred router brand on the e-commerce platform Amazon and provides network communication services to the US Department of Defense and other federal government agencies.
After a series of large-scale cyberattacks in the US in 2025, lawmakers from both parties grew more concerned about security vulnerabilities in TP-Link routers, fearing they could be easily breached by Chinese hackers and used to attack US networks. In May of the same year, over a dozen Republican lawmakers, including Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, called for a ban on further sales of TP-Link products in the US.
Microsoft stated in 2024 that since at least 2021, Chinese hackers had utilized compromised TP-Link routers to create a secret network, stealing login credentials of sensitive Microsoft customers. However, it was not until four months after the vulnerability report that TP-Link Systems released a patch in November 2024, for these devices listed as discontinued products with no further update services available.