A US Ban on TP-Link Could Disrupt Millions of Home Networks
The Chinese network specialist TP-Link is apparently soon threatened with a sales ban in the USA. Against the background of national security, several US authorities are said to support a ban on the import of routers and other products from TP-Link.
Ministry of Commerce should ban imports
According to a report by the Washington Post Several US departments have come to the conclusion that the import of products from the Chinese manufacturer TP-Link into the USA should be banned. According to several sources close to the US government, such a move was preceded by a months-long review process in which the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice and the Department of Defense discussed such a move.
TP-Link first came under the radar of the US authorities at least a year ago because the manufacturer plays an enormous role in the market for privately used WiFi routers in the United States. Apparently there are concerns about the possible use of the routers for espionage by Chinese government agencies or groups commissioned by them.
TP-Link founded a US branch – market share enormous
Although TP-Link has already responded to the US authorities’ long-standing “concerns” and founded an independent American company to distribute its products in the USA, the US government still suspects possible connections between the router manufacturer and the Chinese government. TP-Link USA responded again by rejecting speculation about possible connections to the Chinese government.
A ban on imports of its products into the United States would allegedly only have an impact on the US company and its customers, but not on China, the company said. In fact, TP-Link routers are extremely popular in the USA. The company itself states that it has a market share of around 36 percent for routers that are used by private individuals or small companies. According to former employees of the former US government under ex-President Biden, the market share could be even higher at around 60 percent because TP-Link is said to have sold some of its products below purchase price in order to quickly capture large market shares.
The US government’s action against TP-Link had already begun under the Biden administration. The logic behind it is simple: because the company sells gigantic quantities of its products, there is a risk to the security of users’ data. Under Chinese law, TP-Link would theoretically have to comply with all the requirements of the local government and could then be forced to deliver malware or pass on intercepted data to Chinese secret services or similar bodies, the US authorities fear.
