Overview
- Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a 59‑page civil complaint in Polk County accusing TP‑Link of selling routers with false security guarantees and hiding ties to China.
- The complaint says TP‑Link marketed its HomeShield service and devices as providing complete protection while many models cannot auto‑update or are no longer supported, leaving users exposed.
- Uthmeier alleges Chinese state‑linked hackers exploited vulnerable TP‑Link routers and that the company misrepresented a split from China and the extent of Vietnam‑based manufacturing.
- The suit asks the court for injunctions to change TP‑Link’s practices plus consumer restitution and statutory penalties under Florida law, and the filings do not include a public TP‑Link response.
- The case continues a recent string of aggressive tech actions by the Florida AG targeting companies over consumer safety and privacy, a pattern that could increase state enforcement and push firms to change product support and disclosure practices.