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Texas AG Files Lawsuit Against Drone and Smart Home Companies

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched a lawsuit claiming that some drone manufacturers and smart home technology companies are concealing their relationships with the Chinese Communist Party, potentially jeopardizing the data of American consumers.

According to the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for Collin County, Texas, Anzu Robotics allegedly sells products sourced from a Chinese manufacturer that is on a blacklist while marketing itself as a U.S.-owned, Texas-based company.

This move is described as part of a “calculated plan” aimed at bypassing U.S. government efforts to restrict the Chinese drone company DJI, which has deep connections to the Chinese Communist Party, the lawsuit contends.

“Anzu Robotics products are nothing more than a 21st-century Trojan horse with ties to the Chinese Communist Party,” Paxton remarked in a statement released Wednesday. He also asserted that the technology from DJI could facilitate surveillance activities by the Chinese government.

Paxton’s office has “taken several targeted actions this week against companies affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party,” which also includes another lawsuit against TP Link, the manufacturer of smart home devices like Wi-Fi routers and robot vacuums.

While TP Link’s products may bare a “Made in Vietnam” label, the lawsuit argues that the company’s supply chain remains heavily entrenched in China, exposing consumers to significant cybersecurity threats.

Furthermore, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has updated the state’s list of banned companies to include both DJI and TP Link, as detailed in the legal documents.

In January 2025, the Department of the Army officially listed DJI as a company that aids the Chinese Communist Party and uses Anzu Robotics to evade national security restrictions.

Export restrictions against DJI have already been set up by the Department of Commerce.

Back in 2021, the U.S. Treasury identified DJI as one of eight companies involved in biometric surveillance and repression of ethnic and religious minorities in China.

The lawsuit emphasizes that Anzu Robotics’ drones are essentially “DJI drones in all but name,” claiming they share the same hardware, firmware, and software, differing only in color and labeling.