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The US this week moved closer to banning the sale of TP-Link routers in the country.
Following months of scrutiny, the Commerce Department’s proposed ban against TP-Link has received the backing of several agencies, including the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Defense, The Washington Post reports.
The move clears the way for the Commerce Department to initiate the ban process, during which it must first notify TP-Link, which will then have 30 days to respond. After that, the agency has 30 more days to consider the company’s objections before making the ban official.
Commerce has also concluded that nothing short of a ban against TP-Link will suffice, citing the company’s ties to China as a national security threat, according to the Post, which spoke with unnamed sources briefed on the matter.
It’s unclear why the agency hasn’t moved further on the proposed ban. But it’s likely because the Trump administration has been holding trade talks with China, which resulted in a temporary economic truce on Thursday.
(Photo by Joan Cros/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
At least since last year, US officials and lawmakers have alleged that TP-Link poses a potential spying and hacking risk, partly because the company was founded in China and continues to maintain a headquarters there. A key concern is that the Chinese government could secretly compel TP-Link to assist in spying on or infiltrating American communications or companies.
No direct evidence of such spying has ever been found or disclosed, which is why PCMag continues to recommend certain TP-Link products. Still, US officials argue that TP-Link’s routers are insecure, which could enable hackers to easily compromise them and attack US networks.
However, TP-Link has dismissed the security concerns as unfounded and based on misinformation. Its US router sales occur through TP-Link Systems in Irvine, California, which spun off from its Chinese counterpart in 2022.
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“As a US company, no foreign country or government—including China—has access to or control over the design and production of our products,” TP-Link Systems told PCMag in May after a group of Republican lawmakers urged the Trump administration to enact a ban.
“To be clear, TP-Link is not a state-sponsored company, has no ‘deep ties’ to, and is completely independent from, the Chinese Communist Party,” TP-Link added. “The allegation that bad actors from China used our routers for cyberattacks is misleading and disingenuous—routers made by many companies have been targets of attacks.”
A similar battle is playing out in the US over the TikTok app.
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About Our Expert
Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
Experience
I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this year, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how President Trump’s tariffs will affect the industry. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.
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