Top US federal agencies are backing a proposal to ban future sales of popular TP-Link home routers because the vendor is allegedly still closely tied to its former Chinese parent company.
The Commerce Department has reportedly proposed banning sales of devices from California-based TP-Link Systems, a company whose products make up over a third of the home router market, according to The Washington Post.
Its sources said that the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and Justice were all involved in crafting the proposal.
This is another case where US agencies are expressing worry over the possibility that a company based in America has remained subject to influence from Beijing, putting the data of Americans at risk.
According to The Washington Post, the firm, TP-Link Systems of Irvine, California, was spun off from a China-based company, TP-Link Technologies, but owns some of that company’s former assets in China.
Commerce officials reportedly concluded that TP-Link Systems products pose a risk because they handle sensitive American data. Officials also believe the company is still subject to jurisdiction or influence by the Chinese government.
TP-Link Systems denies the allegations and says it has fully split from the Chinese corporate parent over the past three years.
“TP-Link vigorously disputes any allegation that its products present national security risks to the United States,” Ricca Silverio, a spokeswoman for TP-Link Systems, said in a statement.
“TP-Link is a US company committed to supplying high-quality and secure products to the US market and beyond.”
The Commerce Department still needs to sign off on the proposal and might still decide against such a step, especially since President Donald Trump has just agreed to a one-year trade truce after talks with China’s leader, Xi Jinping.
That’s probably why The Post also says that the proposal includes the idea for TP-Link Systems to offer a deal that would satisfy the government and forestall a ban.
Washington would reportedly need an assurance that key hardware and software were being developed without influence from China.
It all looks quite similar to the TikTok saga. China – that’s where TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is based – has apparently approved a deal to keep the app running in the US after the Trump administration received assurances related to national security. TikTok’s signature algorithm will also be copied and retrained using US user data.
TP-Link Systems’ website says it has 36% of the US market for home routers by direct unit sales. But the share is probably larger since some internet service providers bundle TP-Link devices.
Under the law, if the US Commerce Secretary determines there is a security risk from foreign-influenced technology, the department can suggest ways to mitigate those risks.
In the case of TP-Link Systems, Commerce officials apparently decided that no mitigation short of a prohibition would suffice.
Last year, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo blocked US sales of antivirus software from Russia’s Kaspersky Lab, noting the extensive access such security programs have to computers.
TP-Link Systems’ website says it has 36% of the US market for home routers by direct unit sales. But the share is probably larger since some internet service providers bundle TP-Link devices.
Those routers aren’t necessarily safe, by the way, cyber pros told Cybernews earlier this year. And in September, CISA warned that hackers were actively exploiting a vulnerability affecting very popular TP-Link WiFi extenders.
Unlock more exclusive Cybernews content on YouTube.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are markedmarked