Temu Sued in Class Action for Risking User Data to Chinese Government Control | Law.com (2024)

FAQs

Is the Temu lawsuit real? ›

Two class-action lawsuits related to privacy have been filed against Temu claiming Temu "gains access to literally everything on your phone" and the app is "loaded with tools to execute virulent and dangerous malware and spyware activities."

Plaintiffs allege that Temu "purposefully and intentionally" loaded its app with malware and spyware and deceived customers about how it uses their data, WFXT-TV in Boston reported. Citing a court filing, WFXT noted a part in the complaint stating that "Temu gains access to literally everything on your phone."

BOSTON — Temu is one of the most popular shopping apps in the world, but a new lawsuit accuses the Chinese-owned company of spying on its customers. The Hagens Berman law firm filed an amended class action complaint against Temu on Feb.

Chinese-Owned Shopping App 'Temu' Sued for Sweeping Privacy Violations, Gaining Access to 'Literally Everything on Your Phone' This case was first surfaced by Law.com Radar.

What is the Temu controversy? The Temu controversy centers around the data-gathering practices of its parent company, PDD Holdings. As alluded to earlier in this article, PDD also owns a Chinese retailer called Pinduoduo, the app for which was (for a while) available on the Google Play Store.

The new complaint cites experts who have studied the Temu app and concluded that it “is purposefully and intentionally loaded with tools to execute virulent and dangerous malware and spyware activities on user devices.”

This lawsuit alleges that Temu uses malware and spyware to collect user data beyond what's necessary for an online shopping app. Another lawsuit claims that Temu is careless with user data, failing to enable safe usage and storage of customers' sensitive data.

Is It Worth It to Join a Class Action Lawsuit? This depends on the facts of your individual case. You might benefit from becoming a lead plaintiff in a highly important case that causes policy changes in the future. Or, you might end up as one of many plaintiffs, contributing to the greater uniformity of the claim.

Say goodbye to junk products and wasted money by deleting your Temu account today. Avoid data privacy concerns and deceptive advertising tactics by removing yourself from Temu's platform. Take control of your personal information and avoid Temu's shady schemes and false promises.

Temu was accused by the US government of potential data risks after its sister site, e-commerce platform Pinduoduo, was suspended by Google for containing malware. However, according to CNBC, analysts say Temu is less of a threat, and the risks associated with Pinduoduo were targeted at Chinese users.

Is Temu owned by China? ›

Temu is owned and operated by PDD Holdings, which also owns Pinduoduo, a common online commerce platform in China. PDD Holdings was initially registered in the Cayman Islands before moving its place of incorporation to Dublin in 2023. The Temu platform first went live in the United States in September 2022.

As of the time of writing, the site has just a 2.5/5 rating from visitors to the US Better Business Bureau (BBB) while one-third of reviews on Trustpilot are one-star. Users frequently criticize Temu for inbox spam, difficulty receiving refunds, and items arriving in poor condition or not at all.

The lawsuit alleges TEMU gains access to literally everything on your phone. The company's Super Bowl ads brought even more spotlight to the Chinese retailer which was already a social media phenomenon. Posters brag about what they call TEMU hauls, but TEMU itself often pays for the posts.

The suit claims experts who reviewed the app found it is "purposefully and intentionally" loaded with "a complete arsenal of tools to exfiltrate virtually all the private data on a user's device and perform nearly any malign action upon command trigger from a remote server." This, it alleges, gives the company access ...

Locate the Temu app icon on your home screen or app drawer. Long-press the icon until a menu appears. Depending on your device, you might see an "Uninstall" or "Remove" option directly in the menu. Tap that option to uninstall Temu.

The initial complaint against Temu was filed in November 2023 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. It alleges that Temu collects data “beyond what is necessary for an online shopping app,” including biometric information.

As of the time of writing, the site has just a 2.5/5 rating from visitors to the US Better Business Bureau (BBB) while one-third of reviews on Trustpilot are one-star. Users frequently criticize Temu for inbox spam, difficulty receiving refunds, and items arriving in poor condition or not at all.

What Personal Information About Customers Does Temu Collect? Temu collects your personal information to provide and improve our services. Here's what we collect: Information You Give Us: We receive and store any information you provide in relation to Temu Services.

There are many people reporting that after using Temu to purchase items, their bank accounts have been hacked. Temu underwent a class action lawsuit for having malware/spyware embedded in the app. It is recommended that you DO NOT USE Temu.