Lawsuit claims baby monitors marketed as safe may be feeding data to Beijing

FIRST ON FOX: Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers will file a lawsuit Tuesday against home security camera maker Lorex, alleging the company misled consumers about the safety and privacy of its devices, Fox News Digital has learned.

Few people know the name Lorex, but its cameras, sold at retailers like Costco and Best Buy, are quietly monitoring homes across the U.S.

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The 39-page lawsuit, filed in Nebraska state court, claims the company marketed its cameras as "private by design" and safe for places like children’s bedrooms, while concealing that the devices rely on a Chinese firm sanctioned by the U.S. over national security and human rights violations. 

The national flags of the U.S. and China flutter at the Fairmont Peace Hotel on April 25, 2024, in Shanghai. (Wang Gang/VCG/Getty Images)

According to Hilgers, Lorex devices depend on technology from Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co., a Chinese surveillance firm legally bound to assist Beijing’s sweeping intelligence apparatus.

"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 told Fox News Digital. "This is a national issue, and we are leading the fight in Nebraska against these companies who enable the CCP influence and surveillance."

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The complaint notes that the Lorex 2K Dual Lens Indoor camera, sold by major U.S. retailers such as Costco, Best Buy, Kohl’s and Home Depot, closely mirrors Dahua’s "H5D-5F" and "H3D-3F" models.

According to the lawsuit, the Lorex 2K Dual Lens Indoor camera sold on Costco.com, BestBuy.com, Kohls.com, and HomeDepot.com is nearly identical in appearance to Dahua "H5D-5F" and "H3D-3F" models. (Nebraska Attorney General lawsuit)

Hilgers said Lorex markets its surveillance products for use in highly private areas, including children’s bedrooms, without warning families of potential security risks. "This marketing is deceptive, as Nebraskans are not warned about security risks," he said. "When it comes to products that may be used to monitor children and inside Nebraska homes, this deception is both alarming and unacceptable."

Hilgers isn’t alone in sounding the alarm. Others in the security space say Lorex’s products represent a broader national threat.

Michael Lucci, CEO of State Armor, has been the leading voice pushing states to act. "Lorex products shouldn’t just say ‘Made in China,’ they should say ‘Watching from China,’" Lucci said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

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He continued, "By hiding its reliance on a CCP-controlled company sanctioned for human rights abuses and national security risks, Lorex is lying to American families."

A baby monitor camera sits above a crib in a nursery in a California home. (Tech Trends/Gado/Getty Images)

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"Marketing these cameras as ‘private by design’ while all the data is back-doored by Beijing is not just false advertising, it’s a direct threat to individual privacy and American national security," he added.

Lawmakers from both parties have long raised concerns that the Chinese government exploits educational exchanges, research partnerships and business investments in the U.S. as cover for espionage activities. These warnings have intensified in recent years amid growing scrutiny of Beijing’s influence operations on U.S. soil.