By Hamza Faisal
Iowa's attorney general is taking the fight over Chinese-linked surveillance gear inside the home.
Brenna Bird announced on Friday that she has sued Lorex Corporation, a retail camera maker, for selling baby monitors and other security cameras she says are manufactured and serviced by a Chinese military company — and could expose American families' video and audio feeds to Beijing.
The lawsuit, filed in Polk County under the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act, is the third this week from Bird’s office against what she calls “China-aligned entities.” Two days earlier she sued video-surveillance distributor ADI Global Distribution over similar allegations, and her office says more filings are coming next week.
A baby cam with a China connection
According to the Iowa attorney general’s office, Lorex sold retail camera equipment — including products advertised as a “Baby Cam” — through major retailers including Costco, Amazon, and Best Buy.
The cameras, the office says, have serious security vulnerabilities and are manufactured, sourced, and serviced by a military company associated with the Chinese government.
Lorex was previously owned by Dahua, a Chinese surveillance-equipment manufacturer that has been blacklisted by the U.S. government.
Dahua later sold Lorex to Skywatch, a Taiwanese holding company — but the attorney general alleges Lorex continues to source component parts for its cameras from Dahua, and never disclosed the China relationship or the security concerns to consumers.
That matters because Lorex markets its cameras as “safe and secure” for private areas of the home, including children’s bedrooms. Bird’s office says the cameras’ flaws could allow hackers — including those affiliated with China — to access video and audio feeds and archives, or tamper with settings remotely.
Relabeled cameras, hidden origins
The separate suit against ADI Global Distribution targets cameras made by Hikvision and Dahua, both of which sit on U.S. lists of foreign entities considered national security risks because of their close ties to the Chinese military.
Bird’s office alleges ADI sold the cameras for years without disclosing their origins — at times even changing product labels to trick U.S. distributors and hide the connection to the Chinese companies.
“Iowans use video surveillance cameras to protect themselves, but these cameras are doing exactly the opposite,” Bird said. She accused ADI of leaving buyers unaware that devices installed to protect their homes could expose them to foreign surveillance.
A multistate crackdown widens
The Iowa lawsuits are part of a coordinated multistate push. At least Florida, Nebraska, and Montana have also filed suits against networking giant TP-Link, whose routers Bird’s office says run firmware that could give Beijing access to devices and data.
TP-Link has said the lawsuits are based on “false premises” and that it is not owned or controlled by any foreign government.
With a third suit announced Friday and more promised next week, Bird is betting that state consumer-fraud law can do what federal action has not yet finished: force Chinese-linked surveillance companies to disclose what they really are — or leave American shelves.
By Hamza Faisal
