Nebraska Sues Lorex, Alleging Deceptive Marketing of Baby Monitors Tied to Chinese Surveillance
Attorney general alleges Lorex relies on a sanctioned Chinese firm and markets devices as private while obscuring security risks, prompting state-level action amid broader security concerns.
A Nebraska state lawsuit filed in a state court alleges Lorex Technology misled consumers about the safety and privacy of its home surveillance cameras, asserting the maker marketed devices as private by design while concealing ties to a Chinese firm sanctioned for national security and human rights concerns. The 39-page complaint targets Lorex’s marketing and product design, asserting that the company’s cameras are commonly sold through major retailers and are marketed for use in private spaces such as bedrooms and nurseries. The suit highlights that Lorex devices depend on technology from Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co., a Chinese surveillance company that is restricted by U.S. authorities for security and human rights issues.
The 39-page complaint notes that the Lorex 2K Dual Lens Indoor camera, sold on Costco.com, BestBuy.com, Kohls.com, and HomeDepot.com, closely mirrors Dahua models the lawsuit identifies as H5D-5F and H3D-3F. Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers said the marketing promises privacy while the devices’ underlying technology is connected to a CCP-controlled company, creating a potential security risk for families in Nebraska and beyond. The filing frames the issue as both deceptive advertising and a national-security concern, arguing that Nebraskans are not adequately warned about the operational risks embedded in a product intended for private spaces.
"The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) poses a direct threat to American security, including through market actors who create or exploit security to American consumers," Hilgers said. "This is a national issue, and we are leading the fight in Nebraska against these companies who enable the CCP influence and surveillance." The attorney general framed the case as part of a broader pattern of concern among lawmakers and security professionals about Beijing’s use of commercial products as a vector for espionage and data access.
Security experts and industry voices cited by the Nebraska case argue Lorex’s marketplace positioning masks a deeper reliance on a sanctioned Chinese company. Michael Lucci, CEO of State Armor, told Fox News Digital that Lorex products should disclose their ties more plainly, arguing that marketing them as private when data flows back to China constitutes deception. "Lorex products shouldn’t just say ‘Made in China,’ they should say ‘Watching from China,’" Lucci said, calling the arrangement a concrete privacy and national-security risk. He added that obscuring the data path from a CCP-controlled firm compounds the problem for consumers who rely on the devices to monitor homes and children.
The lawsuit also anchors its argument in a broader geopolitical context, noting longstanding concerns about China’s influence operations on U.S. soil and the way private companies can inadvertently serve as components of state-backed surveillance efforts. Nebraska officials contend that the Lorex claim of privacy is undermined by the device’s dependency on a firm repeatedly identified by U.S. authorities as a security risk. While the complaint focuses on Lorex’s representations and product design, it also echoes a wider debate about the safety of consumer electronics assembled in or tied to Chinese technology ecosystems and the potential implications for households that use such devices in private spaces.
The case signals how state attorneys general are increasingly scrutinizing the intersection of consumer privacy and national security in the smart-device market. The Nebraska filing identifies the Lorex devices as marketed to families with children, and it asserts that the company should disclose the risk profile associated with using technology that connects to a sanctioned foreign company. The complaint frames the allegations as a matter of deceptive advertising and consumer protection, with potential implications for retailers that stock Lorex products.
Experts say the action could influence similar investigations in other states and possibly prompt additional retailer-level reviews of Lorex products. The company’s ties to Dahua, a brand that has faced years of scrutiny over Chinese government access to data and surveillance practices, are central to the argument that consumer privacy may be compromised even when products are marketed as family-friendly or private by design. The Nebraska attorney general’s office has not disclosed any immediate remedies or penalties in the filing, but the suit seeks to address alleged misrepresentations and the privacy vulnerabilities associated with Lorex devices.
The development comes as lawmakers from both parties have raised concerns about the Chinese government leveraging educational exchanges, research partnerships, and commercial investments to expand influence and intelligence capabilities on U.S. soil. Nebraska’s action aligns with a broader trend of state-level scrutiny of consumer electronics, data handling practices, and the security assurances companies provide to households that rely on connected devices. The case does not determine the fate of Lorex products in the retail market, but it signals that state authorities are prepared to challenge how these devices are marketed and what disclosures accompany their use. The outcome could influence how retailers and manufacturers approach privacy and security disclosures in a market where data collection and interconnected devices are increasingly ubiquitous across homes.