A home security and baby monitor provider is allegedly tied to the Chinese government.
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said in a press release on Monday that the communist government has had its “hand on our cradles” for some time.
‘These cameras watch our babies breathe.’
Hanaway announced a lawsuit against Lorex, a major retailer of WiFi cameras for indoor and outdoor security, including baby monitor cameras. The company even sells cameras attached to lightbulb fixtures as well.
In 2018, Lorex was acquired by Dahua Technology, the same year Dahua CEO Fu Liquan was reported to be the secretary of Dahua’s Communist Party Committee. In 2019, Dahua was used by the Chinese government for its surveillance program.
Dahua eventually sold Lorex to Taiwanese company Skywatch for $72 million in 2022, but according to the Missouri AG, the connection to China still exists and Lorex misled retailers about its ongoing connections.
“The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. Missouri will not allow the CCP to put its hand on our cradles,” Hanaway said in the press release. “Parents place these cameras over cribs and in bedrooms to protect their children, not to invite a foreign adversary into their homes.”
Hanaway stated that Lorex has maintained its ties to Dahua as an ongoing supplier of components despite the then-Department of Defense previously designating Dahua as a national security threat.
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Hanaway also alleged that Lorex’s firmware routes straight to Dahua, “further evidencing CCP involvement and control over device hardware and software.”
In addition to selling products connected to China on its own website, Lorex cameras were sold through Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, Menards, Micro Center, Office Depot, and Staples all while the company “misrepresented and omitted fundamental facts” to consumers and retailers, the lawsuit claims.
“Lorex tells families its video cameras are ‘private by design’ while concealing ties to a Chinese military company,” Hanaway added. “These cameras watch our babies breathe, capture our children’s voices, and record families’ most intimate moments. When companies won’t tell the truth about their connection to hostile foreign governments, my office will step in to protect families.”
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Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images
Missouri is suing under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, seeking restitution of up to $1,000 for each Missouri customer who bought a Lorex camera in the last five years, as well as $1.8 million in damages from the company.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit in February against Lorex with similar accusations, in that the company is still tied to Dahua, uses its components, and failed to disclose this information to consumers.
Paxton said these points violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
Lorex did not respond to Blaze News’ request for comment and has not released public statements about the Missouri lawsuit.
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News, Tech, Ccp, China, Missouri
