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U.S. Investigates TP-Link Over Pricing Practices and China Ties

The DOJ and Commerce Department are probing the router giant for alleged predatory pricing and potential national security risks linked to its Chinese parentage.

TP-Link Deco BE5000 Wi-Fi 7 mesh router
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The U.S. government is looking closely at TP-Link routers.

Overview

  • The Department of Justice has launched both criminal and civil antitrust investigations into TP-Link, examining whether the company used predatory pricing to dominate the U.S. router market.
  • The Commerce Department is investigating TP-Link's ties to China and whether they pose national security risks, with a focus on its corporate restructuring in 2024.
  • TP-Link controls approximately 65% of the U.S. home and small business router market, with several best-selling models on Amazon.
  • Security vulnerabilities in TP-Link routers have been exploited in state-backed cyberattacks, including a botnet of 16,000 devices exposed by Microsoft in October 2024.
  • Regulators are assessing whether TP-Link's 2024 reorganization, which created a U.S.-based entity, sufficiently separates it from its Chinese parent company.