Lawmakers are wondering why retail giant Costco continues to sell products that have been banned by the U.S. over concerns that they allow the Chinese government to spy on Americans.
Costco is currently selling home security devices made by Lorex, which is linked to the Chinese company Dahua. The Federal Communications Commission blacklisted Dahua surveillance products in 2022 due to the “unacceptable risk” posed to national security.
Dahua has also been accused of using slave labor, not to mention helping the Chinese Communist Party track and surveil the Uyghur population.
Those human rights issues were highlighted by TechCrunch in 2021, when a number of big U.S. retail chains — including Home Depot and Best Buy — began pulling Lorex products off their shelves.
But not Costco — and lawmakers want to know why.
Republican New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith and Democratic Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley sent a letter to Costco CEO W. Craig Jelinek on Tuesday demanding answers.
The congressional duo said it is “puzzling” that the company is still selling products with “critical vulnerabilities,” including possible “unauthorized viewing of video and audio feeds and archives, as well as unauthorized network access and remote tampering with settings.”
“No data collected