Attor­ney Gen­er­al Ken Pax­ton Inves­ti­gates Whether Major Tech Com­pa­ny is Allow­ing the Chi­nese Gov­ern­ment to Abuse Tex­ans’ Con­sumer Data

Attorney General Ken Paxton opened an investigation against TP-Link Systems Inc. (“TP Link”), a leading manufacturer of networking equipment, for potentially aiding the Chinese communist government in accessing and abusing American consumers’ data.

TP Link, originally founded in Shenzhen, China, has become one of the largest providers of office networking equipment in the United States. In recent years, the company established a spin-off with a new headquarters in California and has claimed that it is now fully independent of Chinese ties. However, questions remain about the accuracy of these claims, as well as about the company’s ownership structure, production practices, and possible ongoing connections to the Chinese government. Specifically, there are concerns that the company may have back doors to provide the Chinese government with control of TP Link equipment to access consumers’ network traffic and run bot networks.

“If Big Tech is giving Chinese communists access to Americans’ data, there is no question that they’re using that data against us,” said Attorney General Paxton. “I will not allow any company to sell us out to our greatest geopolitical enemy. If TP Link is violating Texas law and jeopardizing Americans, my office will do everything in our power to hold them accountable.” 

The investigation will examine whether TP Link has misled consumers about the degree of its independence from the Chinese, whether its technology contains more serious vulnerabilities than that of comparable domestic competitors, and whether its devices improperly collect or disclose consumer data in violation of Texas privacy law. 

These actions will also build upon a prior privacy notice violation issued by the Attorney General’s office to the company earlier this year, to which TP Link failed to provide an adequate response.