Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird sued a home-video surveillance company Wednesday for making state residents' private data available to China by allegedly concealing that the cameras were manufactured by two companies tied to the Chinese military. 

The two companies that manufactured the cameras, Hikvision and Dahua, are on a list of foreign entities that pose a national security risk to the United States, and Bird alleged that no documentation on the cameras warned Iowans of the security issues.

The state accused ADI Global Distribution Inc. of deceiving Iowans for years by selling security cameras that were manufactured by companies on the national security watch list and that the company went as far as changing the labels on the cameras at times to trick American distributors.

“Iowans use video surveillance cameras to protect themselves, but these cameras are doing exactly the opposite,” Bird said in a statement. “These China-made cameras are making Iowans’ private information—everything from where each room is in your home, who lives there, your routine, and even passwords—available to the Chinese government and military. 

"The deception needs to stop; companies aligned with China will be held accountable to Iowa’s law," she added.

Although ADI markets itself as a trusted source for security and smart-home solutions, Bird and the Federal Communications Commission have warned that security and privacy issues still remain.

The FCC said the telecommunication and surveillance equipment manufactured by the two China-linked companies is a recognized threat to American users because “they are vulnerable to spying from hackers and information requests from the People’s Republic of China’s intelligence entities.”

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.