Washington DC [US], November 17 : A bipartisan coalition of 23 lawmakers is requesting that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick launch an investigation into networking devices produced by TP-Link Technologies and its subsidiaries. They caution that these products, especially security cameras, might be utilised by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for surveillance on the US military, as reported by The Epoch Times (TET).
The group, spearheaded by Sen Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Rep Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), and Rep Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), submitted a letter to Lutnick on Nov. 13, asserting that an investigation is essential because "open-source information indicates that TP-Link poses a significant and immediate threat" to the safety of US information communication technology services.
Ernst noted in a post on X on November 13, as reported by TET, "China is seeking any opportunity to penetrate and destabilise the United States."
"I am urging the Trump administration to examine whether TP-Link is a Trojan horse for the CCP to surveil the American public and our military installations." The lawmakers mentioned that TP-Link products are currently offered for sale through" the Army and Air Force Exchange as well as the Navy Exchange, thereby positioning these devices close to US military bases and personnel both domestically and overseas.
These exchanges, operated by the Department of Defence, cater to military personnel, their families, and retirees, providing "military installations with products and services akin to retail outlets," according to a report from the Congressional Research Service. The Army and Air Force Exchange "manages over 5,500 facilities across more than 30 countries and four U.S. territories," the report indicated, as quoted by TET.
"At present, there is nothing preventing companies affiliated with the CCP from spying on Americans via internet-connected cameras within their homes," the lawmakers stated in their letter. "The Chinese Communist Party may seize and misuse these videos to monitor, blackmail, or extort U.S. citizens, including high-ranking government and military officials."
In China, laws such as the National Intelligence Law of 2017 and the Data Security Law of 2021 compel the Chinese government to collect data from businesses based in China, creating privacy concerns for US companies and customers utilising their products and applications. Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-N.C.) remarked that he added his signature to the letter to ensure "that no products sold on [U.S.] bases can be utilised to track or surveil American personnel," as referenced in his post on X, according to the TET report.
"China's intelligence regulations mandate that companies like TP-Link surrender their data, so allowing their cameras and routers to be sold at military exchanges poses the risk of providing the CCP direct access to the private lives of our service members," Harrigan noted, as mentioned in the TET report.
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