Effort To Ban America's Favorite Router Gains Traction - Here's What We Know

1 week ago

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

Government agencies are backing a connection to prohibition TP-Link routers.
The company's routers are nan astir celebrated action successful nan world.
TP-Link routers person been progressive successful respective hacking incidents.

About a twelvemonth aft nan conception was first tossed about, nan push for nan US authorities to prohibition a very celebrated marque of router is gaining momentum.

Last December, nan US Justice, Commerce, and Defense departments initiated an investigation into Chinese-owned TP-Link owed to information concerns. Now, according to a study from The Washington Post, respective authorities agencies are officially backing a connection by nan Commerce Department to prohibition nan waste of each of nan company's networking devices successful nan US.

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Should nan prohibition return effect, it would beryllium 1 of nan astir wide-sweeping merchandise bans successful user history.

TP-Link is 1 of nan astir celebrated router brands globally. The institution makes nan mostly of routers sold successful US, it's nan astir celebrated router action connected Amazon, and more than 300 ISPs nonstop nan brand's routers to customers. TP-Link moreover makes an quality connected our database of champion routers.

The company's routers person been progressive successful several high-profile hacking incidents, though, which is starring authorities officials to mobility really unafraid nan devices really are. TP-Link issued a patch for immoderate of nan affected devices, but immoderate group opportunity that's not enough.

What happens now?

At this point, nan Commerce Department tin take to driblet nan matter entirely, activity retired a discuss (such arsenic only banning nan authorities from buying them), aliases enact nan ban. If it opts to ban, it must officially notify TP-Link, who would person 30 days to object. The Commerce Department would past person 30 much days to respond to nan objection.

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If nan prohibition were to happen, it would effect nan sale/purchase of caller devices. You'd astir apt still beryllium capable to prime up a utilized TP-Link instrumentality if that's your preferred brand. If you insist connected buying new, you'd simply shop from different manufacturer.

Given nan company's marketplace dominance, however, there's a adjacent chance we would spot shortages successful networking devices, which would almost surely lead to higher prices for those presently connected nan market.

When I reached retired for comment, a spokesperson for TP-Link Systems Inc. (TP-Link's US subsidiary), noted that, "No charismatic action aliases confirmation has been made by immoderate agency aliases nan White House regarding these allegations." The Washington Post article, nan spokesperson reiterated, reported that Commerce whitethorn still determine not to rumor nan ban, aliases could scope an statement pinch TP-Link for a different resolution.

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"TP-Link Systems vigorously disputes immoderate allegation that its products coming nationalist information risks to nan US," nan spokesperson said, adding that "any concerns nan authorities whitethorn person astir TP-Link are afloat resolvable by a common-sense operation of measures for illustration onshoring improvement functions, investing successful cybersecurity, and being transparent."

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