Tim Cheung (@TimCheung)

Fighting against Chinese Communist Authoritarianism https://www.facebook.com/ChinaCreepingAuthoritarianism/posts/pfbid02oDpkC9GfiEruQXee7hfyRwkjgFWrraQb8vdsn1XjatnWRyecLn4XcstcAkM8tsXvl " #TPLink, established in #China, has roughly 65% of the #US. market for #routers for #homes and small #businesses. It is also the top choice on #Amazon, and powers #internet #communications for the Defense Department and other federal government agencies. Investigators at the Commerce, Defense and Justice departments have opened their own probes into the company, and authorities could ban the sale of TP-Link routers in the U.S. next year, according to people familiar with the matter. An office of the Commerce Department has subpoenaed TP-Link...a #Chinese #hacking entity maintains a large #network of compromised network devices mostly comprising thousands of TP-Link routers. The network has been used by numerous #Chinese actors to launch #cyberattacks. These actors have gone after Western targets including think tanks, government organizations, #nongovernment organizations and #DefenseDepartment #suppliers. TP-Link routers are routinely shipped to customers with security flaws, which the company often fails to address, according to people familiar with the matter. While routers often have bugs, regardless of their manufacturer, TP-Link doesn’t engage with security researchers concerned about them...The company’s market dominance has been achieved in part through lower prices. Its routers are cheaper than competitors, often by more than half, according to #market data. The Justice Department is investigating whether the price discrepancies violate a federal law that prohibits attempts at monopolies by selling products for less than they cost to make...Taiwan, which has broad restrictions on the use of technology from China, has banned TP-Link routers from government and educational facilities. The Indian government, which has also clashed with China, issued a warning this year about TP-Link, saying the routers presented a security risk...The company was started in 1996 by brothers Zhao Jianjun and Zhao Jiaxing in #Shenzhen. Zhao Jianjun is a graduate of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, where he is also a donor and a board member. The university helps conduct cyber operations and #cyber research for the Chinese #military...TP-Link has changed the name of its China entities, one of which is working on more than a half-dozen Chinese-government-run research and development projects, records show."