SAN ANSELMO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 26: In this photo illustration, the Temu logo is displayed on a laptop on February 26, 2024 in San Anselmo, California. The Chinese online marketplace app is gaining popularity in the United States. (Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Roommates, Temu is in the hot seat with more than a dozen plaintiffs who claim the app can access “everything” on customers’ phones.
According to Fox 5 New York, plaintiffs from Massachusetts, California, Illinois, New York, and Virginia are collectively suing Temu. They claim that the Chinese-owned company “purposefully and intentionally” has malware and spyware in the app. Additionally, the lawsuit alleges Temu deceives its customers about how it plans to use data from their phones.
The court filing reportedly states that “Temu gains access to literally everything on your phone,” citing industry reports, per Boston 25 News.
“This is particularly concerning, given that biometric information such as facial characteristics, voiceprints, and fingerprints are immutable characteristics that can be misused by unscrupulous actors,” the lawsuit said.
Not only that, the plaintiffs say the online shopping experience is “dangerous” because it allegedly accesses information like private messages and track notifications on its customers’ phones by bypassing “phone security systems.”
Ultimately, the lawsuit claims Temu violates the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986, and privacy laws in Massachusetts.
However, it’s unclear what end result the plaintiffs are seeking and how exactly the app allegedly affected them each. Hagens Berman Law Firm filed the class action lawsuit on Feb. 16 on behalf of the group, per Boston 25 News.
This week, a Temu spokesperson based in New York denied the lawsuit’s allegations in a statement to Boston 25 News.
“We categorically deny the allegations and intend to vigorously defend ourselves against this meritless lawsuit. The complaints parrot a report put out by a short-seller, calling itself Grizzly Research, which has an obvious incentive to try to drive down Temus stock price through misinformation. The report even includes a disclaimer that its contents are ‘not statements of fact,'” the spokesperson said.
The rep also said the company values “safeguarding privacy” and follows industry standards.
Last year, Temu was the most downloaded free app on Apple devices, per AP. After the app became available in the U.S. in 2022, it soared in popularity due to its cheap prices for everything from clothing to household goodies.
According toNBC, a second similar lawsuit has also been filed against the company.
