TEMU users have been left terrified as a new lawsuit claims the app is using “dangerous malware” to spy on your phone.
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin filed the lawsuit on Tuesday which outlines Temu’s alleged “unrestricted access” to users confidential information.
But Temu say they are “surprised and disappointed” by the lawsuit – blasting the claims as “unfounded”.
Temu offers mega discounts on a massive range of products that come from Chinese warehouses and factories.
It’s popularity hasn’t gone unnoticed with the shopping app being crowned the most downloaded free app on the App Store and Google play a couple of years ago, Times reports.
But now an alarming new lawsuit claims Temu sells items at such a low price in exchange for your private information.
Attorney General Tim Griffin claims customers are unaware the app is quietly collecting personal data from multiple apps on their devices.
The lawsuit alleges that once a customer downloads the app on their device, it bypasses data privacy settings that users have set in place and proceeds to collects data.
This may include biometric information from a users device like fingerprints.
Not only that, but Temu then allegedly makes a profit by selling the data to third parties, making it potentially obvious why the items are so cheap.
But the alleged spying may not just be happening to buyers – their contacts may also be falling victim.
In fact, the lawsuit outlines that individuals who “engage in electronic communications” with Temu users via text or email could have their confidential conversations “subject to harvesting”.
The lawsuit says: “It is a data-theft business that sells goods online as a means to an end.
“Temu is purposefully designed to gain unrestricted access to a user’s phone operating system, including, but not limited to, a user’s camera, specific location, contacts, text messages, documents, and other applications.”
But Temu claims the allegations are “based on misinformation circulated online, primarily from a short-seller, and are totally unfounded.”
They also promise to “vigorously defend ” themselves in the case.
Temu is owned by PDD Holdings, which the lawsuit calls “a Chinese company that is subject to Chinese law”.
It’s further alleged that Chinese law requires the company to cooperate with China’s national intelligence agencies, giving them data labelled as “security interest”.
This could include data obtained from Temu buyers.
The lawsuit comes after some Brit’s became concerned that the app wasn’t safe or reliable.
Mum-of-four Jade Brogden told The Sun she furnished her daughter’s bedroom for just £50 using the app.
The 27-year-old costume designer, from Mirfield, West Yorks, bought sea-themed blankets, stuffed animals, pictures, stickers, lights, ornaments and other decorations and said: “If I’d bought it all from a shop in Britain I’d have paid almost £300.”
But Jade expressed concern about the app’s apparent ability to spy on her.
She said: “I was talking one day about needing a new sofa and suddenly my social media feeds were flooded with Temu adverts for sofas.
“But Temu has been launched at a time when people like me desperately need bargains. It’s so useful, I feel as if I can’t afford not to use it.”
By Millie Turner | Senior Technology & Science Reporter
The online megastore is now squaring up to Amazon – but is the Chinese copycat site as safe or reliable?
Is Temu a legitimate website?
The website is legitimate in that customers usually get what they order, but there are some hang ups.
Goods can take weeks before they reach the doorstep.
According to the Better Business Bureau, an American non-profit, most complaints from Temu customers are over the long shipping times, low-quality items, and poor customer service.
“They’re making delivery promises, and people aren’t getting their stuff when they’re supposed to be,” Melanie McGovern, the director of public relations and social media for the Bureau told TIME in December.
However, Temu will process refunds within 7 days after receipt of the return package from users – so customers aren’t completely short-changed if they’re unhappy with their products.
There have been no complaints that allege the goods Temu ships are counterfeit or fake.
But there is growing concern among customers and onlookers that the app is being used to harvest data for the Chinese government.
This data can be used to build profiles for companies to use to produce better targeted advertisements – and make more sales.
But this can potentially be used for more sinister purposes, like blackmail and spying.
Professor Sarah Morris, a digital forensic expert at Southampton University, said: “The more places that have and share your data, the more people can build a larger profile, and that can lead to consequences in terms of identity theft and can even profile and pick out people, which is never a good thing.
“In terms of espionage, if you are looking for someone and able to identify a habit and build up a profile, that can certainly give you an advantage and lead to potential opportunities for harm.”
Is the Temu app safe?
The Temu app does collect data from its users, but no more than the likes of Amazon.
It must also comply with US data protections laws.
However, it’s parent company, PDD Holdings, is reportedly a lot more sweeping with its data collection.
In March, PDD Holdingd’s other app Pinduoduo was suspended by Google after malware coding was discovered in some versions of it.
Pinduoduo gains full access to all your contacts, calendars, and photo albums, plus all your social media accounts, chats, and texts, according to a report by USA Today.
Google said it had taken down the shopping platform from its online store amid “security concerns”.
The Temu app and website has also been given an overall customer review of just 2.3 stars through the Better Business Bureau’s rating system.
There are a raft of five-star reviews for Temu on TrustPilot, with customers happy with the low prices and massive variety of items.
But recent complaints about Temu on the BBB website say that items never arrived or took weeks or even months to arrive.
McGovern said it is unusual for such a new company to have received so many complaints in such a short time period.
It should also be noted that Temu’s promotional credits scheme has been picked up by cybercriminals online, who have created fake ‘free credits’ scams to lure in unsuspecting victims.
