Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against TP-Link Systems Inc., accusing the company of deceptively marketing its home-networking products while allowing the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ devices inside their homes.
Paxton’s suit alleges that despite TP-Link’s assurances of privacy and security, its routers and other devices have been used by state-sponsored hacking entities tied to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to launch cyberattacks against the United States.
The lawsuit argues that the company’s ownership and supply-chain ties to China place it under PRC “national data” laws, which require Chinese firms and citizens to assist regime intelligence services by turning over data collected on American users.
With nearly all of TP-Link’s product components imported from China, Paxton says the company has deliberately misled Texans about the nationality, privacy, and security of its devices—turning what appears to be a routine consumer product into a national security risk.
The complaint alleges that the deception opens the door to secret surveillance and exploitation of Texas consumers through technology they rely on for basic internet connectivity.
“This week, my office is launching a coordinated series of actions against CCP-aligned companies to send a clear message that in the Lone Star State we will always put Texas and America First,” Paxton said in announcing the suit.
“TP Link will face the full force of the law for putting Americans’ security at risk. Let this serve as a clear warning to any Chinese entity seeking to compromise our nation’s security.”
Paxton’s office says the TP-Link lawsuit is the first in a series of lawsuits this week, all aimed at companies with ties to Communist China that allegedly endanger Texans’ data or security.
The lawsuit follows an investigation into TP-Link that Paxton announced in October 2025, after concerns that the company might be enabling the Chinese government’s access to Americans’ home networks. That probe fell under the attorney general’s broader initiative to protect Texans’ data from illegal exploitation by foreign and corporate actors.
As part of that effort, Paxton has previously taken legal and investigative action against multiple companies linked to the CCP, casting the issue as both a consumer-protection matter and a national security threat.
In a related move, Gov. Greg Abbott recently updated the state’s list of prohibited technologies for state employees and state devices to include TP-Link.
A TP-Link spokesperson told Texas Scorecard, “The claims made by the Texas Attorney General’s office are without merit and will be proven false. TP-Link Systems Inc. is an independent American company. Neither the Chinese government nor the CCP exercises any form of ownership or control over TP-Link, its products, or its user data. TP-Link’s founder and CEO, Jeffrey Chao, resides in Irvine, CA, and is not and never has been a member of the CCP. To ensure the highest level of security, our core operations and infrastructure are located entirely within the United States, and all U.S. users’ networking data is stored securely on Amazon Web Services servers. We will continue to vigorously defend our reputation as a trusted provider of secure connectivity for American families.”
