Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin sued Temu on June 25 for allegedly using malware to infiltrate sensitive user information violating several state laws.
In 2023, the app surpassed Amazon as the most popular shopping app, with 330 million downloads, exposing millions of Americans to Chinese surveillance. It has become a household name after spending billions on Super Bowl ads last February.
Griffin warns Americans that “Temu purports to be an online shopping platform, but it is dangerous malware, surreptitiously granting itself access to virtually all data on a user’s cell phone.” (READ MORE: The Catholic Church in China Has Been Co-Opted by the Communist Party)
The Texas Public Policy Foundation echoed similar concerns, claiming that, if downloaded, the “CCP could theoretically install applications and spyware files on an individual’s smart device to use for complete surveillance of all user activity on a phone,” allowing China to monitor keystrokes and obtain login credentials for other apps, emails, and bank accounts.
Temu is an online retail company owned by PDD Holdings, a major Chinese e-commerce platform that moved from China to Ireland last year. PDD Holdings also runs a Chinese app called Pinduoduo that the Google Play Store temporarily suspended in 2023 for security concerns.
Despite the company’s professed private ownership, the Chinese government strictly controls all Chinese businesses.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, “[U]nder China’s 2017 National Intelligence Law… all Chinese companies and entities appear legally required to conduct intelligence work on behalf of the Chinese government.” (READ MORE: Chinese Cultural Vandalism and Popular Unrest)
In other words, Temu is another tool for the Chinese Communist Party’s global surveillance.
Other Chinese-affiliated companies such as Huawei and TikTok faced similar scrutiny and distrust from foreign governments and consumers due to the intelligence law.
Temu is known for its extraordinarily low prices and fast delivery times, but reports reveal their services are too good to be true.
Grizzly Research estimates that the company loses money every order, prompting the organization to suspect that Temu “already, or intends to, illegally sell stolen data from Western country customers to sustain a business model that is otherwise doomed for failure.” (READ MORE: A Tale of Two Universities)
Americans face a critical decision: continue using Temu and other Chinese-affiliated apps, risking their personal information falling into the hands of America’s chief adversary, or take a stand for freedom and delete the app now.
The choice is clear — protect your data or surrender your privacy.
The post Arkansas AG Claims Temu Is Chinese Spyware appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.
