diff --git a/packages/components/src/components/data-table/_data-table-core.scss b/packages/components/src/components/data-table/_data-table-core.scss
index 84c5458fc5ae..270c202f8405 100644
--- a/packages/components/src/components/data-table/_data-table-core.scss
+++ b/packages/components/src/components/data-table/_data-table-core.scss
@@ -92,6 +92,11 @@
     border-bottom: 1px solid $hover-ui;
   }
 
+  .#{$prefix}--data-table tbody tr:hover td .#{$prefix}--link,
+  .#{$prefix}--data-table tbody tr:hover th .#{$prefix}--link {
+    color: $link-02;
+  }
+
   .#{$prefix}--data-table th,
   .#{$prefix}--data-table td {
     text-align: left;
@@ -219,6 +224,10 @@
     }
   }
 
+  .#{$prefix}--data-table--selected .#{$prefix}--link {
+    color: $link-02;
+  }
+
   .#{$prefix}--data-table--compact td.#{$prefix}--table-column-menu,
   .#{$prefix}--data-table--short td.#{$prefix}--table-column-menu {
     height: rem(24px);
diff --git a/packages/elements/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/PublicAPI-test.js.snap b/packages/elements/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/PublicAPI-test.js.snap
index 075e3e2a33fc..2e64e18ff0b9 100644
--- a/packages/elements/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/PublicAPI-test.js.snap
+++ b/packages/elements/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/PublicAPI-test.js.snap
@@ -170,6 +170,7 @@ Array [
   "layout06",
   "layout07",
   "link01",
+  "link02",
   "magenta",
   "magenta10",
   "magenta100",
diff --git a/packages/react/src/components/DataTable/stories/shared.js b/packages/react/src/components/DataTable/stories/shared.js
index 2a90040a2ac8..13d857147eee 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/components/DataTable/stories/shared.js
+++ b/packages/react/src/components/DataTable/stories/shared.js
@@ -4,8 +4,9 @@
  * This source code is licensed under the Apache-2.0 license found in the
  * LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
  */
-
+import React from 'react';
 import { action } from '@storybook/addon-actions';
+import Link from '../../Link';
 
 export const rows = [
   {
@@ -15,7 +16,7 @@ export const rows = [
     port: 3000,
     rule: 'Round robin',
     attached_groups: 'Kevin’s VM Groups',
-    status: 'Disabled',
+    status: <Link>Disabled</Link>,
   },
   {
     id: 'b',
@@ -24,7 +25,7 @@ export const rows = [
     port: 443,
     rule: 'Round robin',
     attached_groups: 'Maureen’s VM Groups',
-    status: 'Starting',
+    status: <Link>Starting</Link>,
   },
   {
     id: 'c',
@@ -33,7 +34,7 @@ export const rows = [
     port: 80,
     rule: 'DNS delegation',
     attached_groups: 'Andrew’s VM Groups',
-    status: 'Active',
+    status: <Link>Active</Link>,
   },
   {
     id: 'd',
@@ -42,7 +43,7 @@ export const rows = [
     port: 3000,
     rule: 'Round robin',
     attached_groups: 'Marc’s VM Groups',
-    status: 'Disabled',
+    status: <Link>Disabled</Link>,
   },
   {
     id: 'e',
@@ -51,7 +52,7 @@ export const rows = [
     port: 443,
     rule: 'Round robin',
     attached_groups: 'Mel’s VM Groups',
-    status: 'Starting',
+    status: <Link>Starting</Link>,
   },
   {
     id: 'f',
@@ -60,7 +61,7 @@ export const rows = [
     port: 80,
     rule: 'DNS delegation',
     attached_groups: 'Ronja’s VM Groups',
-    status: 'Active',
+    status: <Link>Active</Link>,
   },
 ];
 
diff --git a/packages/themes/metadata.yml b/packages/themes/metadata.yml
index 0dda81b7aa30..1b09ffdf8908 100644
--- a/packages/themes/metadata.yml
+++ b/packages/themes/metadata.yml
@@ -73,6 +73,9 @@ tokens:
     role:
       - Primary links
       - Ghost button
+  - name: link02
+    role:
+      - Secondary link color for lower contrast backgrounds
   - name: field01
     role:
       - Default input fields
diff --git a/packages/themes/src/g10.js b/packages/themes/src/g10.js
index 9b23b3350759..0cb2aaf544d4 100644
--- a/packages/themes/src/g10.js
+++ b/packages/themes/src/g10.js
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ export const icon02 = gray70;
 export const icon03 = white;
 
 export const link01 = blue60;
+export const link02 = blue70;
 
 export const inverseLink = blue40;
 
diff --git a/packages/themes/src/g100.js b/packages/themes/src/g100.js
index 64d59f46cc09..3f77c8d2fc07 100644
--- a/packages/themes/src/g100.js
+++ b/packages/themes/src/g100.js
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ export const icon02 = gray30;
 export const icon03 = white;
 
 export const link01 = blue40;
+export const link02 = blue30;
 
 export const inverseLink = blue60;
 
diff --git a/packages/themes/src/g90.js b/packages/themes/src/g90.js
index 595674dd3207..9d75d7c23303 100644
--- a/packages/themes/src/g90.js
+++ b/packages/themes/src/g90.js
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ export const icon02 = gray30;
 export const icon03 = white;
 
 export const link01 = blue40;
+export const link02 = blue30;
 
 export const inverseLink = blue60;
 
diff --git a/packages/themes/src/tokens.js b/packages/themes/src/tokens.js
index 4d2fb8965b89..53ac9aedfee9 100644
--- a/packages/themes/src/tokens.js
+++ b/packages/themes/src/tokens.js
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ const colors = [
   'icon03',
 
   'link01',
+  'link02',
 
   'inverseLink',
 
@@ -187,6 +188,7 @@ export const unstable__meta = {
         'text05',
         'textError',
         'link01',
+        'link02',
         'icon01',
         'icon02',
         'icon03',
diff --git a/packages/themes/src/v9.js b/packages/themes/src/v9.js
index b02db3b9b005..cd00b8bfe762 100644
--- a/packages/themes/src/v9.js
+++ b/packages/themes/src/v9.js
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ export const icon02 = '#5a6872';
 export const icon03 = white;
 
 export const link01 = '#3d70b2';
+export const link02 = '#3d70b2';
 
 export const inverseLink = '#5596e6';
 
diff --git a/packages/themes/src/white.js b/packages/themes/src/white.js
index 728e85706efe..784189d81e5c 100644
--- a/packages/themes/src/white.js
+++ b/packages/themes/src/white.js
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ export const icon02 = gray70;
 export const icon03 = white;
 
 export const link01 = blue60;
+export const link02 = blue70;
 
 export const inverseLink = blue40;