Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) demanded a “formal investigation” into a popular Chinese gadget maker, alleging its products pose “unacceptable risks to US national security”.
The lawmakers flagged concerns about Anker — which sells “smart” home goods like security cameras through its Eufy brand, along with fast-charging batteries — in a letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and Commerce Department Secretary Howard Lutnick.
They pointed out that Anker appeared to be targeting US military families with sales promotions, including a 20% discount on Eufy products for current and former service members and their spouses.
Anker’s ties to the Chinese government “could introduce foreign surveillance and destructive capabilities into American households,” the lawmakers warned.
They also accused Anker of relying heavily on government subsidies that have allowed it to “gain an unfair and dominant market position.”
“Taking action is essential to not only protect American brands and innovators from unfair Chinese competition but also to protect US citizens from potentially having their personal data exploited by China,” the duo stated in the letter, which was exclusively obtained by The Post.
Stefanik and Scott asked the feds to investigate a number of questions about Anker’s business, including its ownership structure, whether its devices transmit American data to Chinese-based servers, and what steps the FCC could take to protect user privacy and prevent surveillance.
Representatives for the FCC, Commerce Department and Anker did not immediately return requests for comment.
In January 2025, the New York attorney general’s office secured a $450,000 settlement from companies that distributed Eufy-brand security cameras after it found that the video feeds “were not always securely encrypted and could be accessible to anyone with the relevant link without authentication.”
Stefanik and Scott alleged that funding from the Chinese government “almost certainly enables Anker to engage in aggressive, anti-competitive pricing that non-subsidized American companies cannot sustain.”
“This advantage has fueled remarkable growth for Anker, whose revenue nearly tripled between 2020 and 2024, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 27%,” the letter stated.
As The Post has reported, US officials have grown increasingly concerned in recent years about the sale of Chinese-made smart home products and components to Americans.
“Using these modules may create a backdoor for malign Chinese government actors to access and potentially cripple our devices,” Mike Gallagher, who then served as chair of the House select committee on China, told The Post in October 2023. “It’s just common sense: American critical infrastructure must not be dependent upon CCP technology.”
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