Missouri Attorney General Hanaway Sues Baby Monitor Manufacturer For Concealing Links to Chinese Military

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – In a monumental action to protect Missourians from the threats of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has filed a lawsuit against Lorex Corporation (Lorex). Lorex, a major seller of home cameras and baby monitors, has concealed material ties to the Chinese military via its manufacturer, Dahua, putting families at risk.

“The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. Missouri will not allow the CCP to put its hand on our cradles,” said Attorney General Hanaway. “Parents place these cameras over cribs and in bedrooms to protect their children, not to invite a foreign adversary into their homes.”

Lorex has maintained ties to Dahua—its former owner and an ongoing supplier of components—despite the U.S. Department of Defense designating Dahua as a Chinese Military Company that threatens national security. Worse yet, researchers analyzing Lorex firmware found it routed straight to Dahua, further evidencing CCP involvement and control over device hardware and software. This affords the Chinese government access to Missourians’ data and security at any time.

Lorex misrepresented and omitted fundamental facts not only to consumers, but to the retailers Missourians rely on to vet products sold in their stores, concealing Dahua’s, and in turn the CCP’s, involvement and threat to national security. Products are sold at Best Buy, Staples, Costco, Menards, Micro Center, and Office Depot, and online via the Lorex website, Amazon, and other third-party retailers.

“Lorex tells families its video cameras are ‘private by design’ while concealing ties to a Chinese military company,” concluded Attorney General Hanaway. “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.”

This action is not the first time Attorney General Hanaway has moved to hold the CCP to account, most notably, moving toward securing Missouri’s historic $24 billion judgment against the People’s Republic of China and the CCP for unleashing the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to this victory, the Attorney General’s Office was met with a defamation suit in the Court of Wuhan, China, where the Chinese government claimed Missouri caused $50.5 billion in economic and reputational losses and branded Missouri a “reputational menace.”

The Attorney General’s lawsuit against Lorex, filed in the Circuit Court of Jefferson County, seeks strong remedies under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act. This includes restitution of up to $1,000 for each Missouri consumer who was sold a Lorex camera over the past five years, damages exceeding $1.8 million, and injunctive relief barring continued illegal and false statements that misrepresent product security.

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway will not allow anyone to turn our homes into surveillance sites and will continue fighting to protect American soil from foreign adversaries. Her office will continue pushing forward in the fight to hold China and any foreign threat to account.