TEMU controversies

Missouri Attorney General sues Temu over data harvesting and deceptive business practices

Lawsuit filed

The Missouri Attorney General's Office filed a lawsuit against e-commerce platform Temu on Oct. 13, 2026, alleging malicious data collection and deception of customers. According to the attorney general's office, an investigation found the platform was designed to covertly steal personally identifiable information from users' mobile devices, including real-time location data accurate to within 10 feet, microphone and camera access, and lists of installed apps and accounts, and that it could hack into devices, facilitate extensive data exfiltration, and evade detection by reconfiguring itself without user knowledge or consent. The suit also alleges misleading pricing and false statements about product quality, and says Temu violated Missourians' privacy and may have aided the Chinese Communist Party; the office said it will seek to protect consumer privacy and secure restitution.

Stated objective. To fight to protect Missourians' privacy and to secure restitution for those victimized by Temu.

Product-safety investigations

Consumer and regulatory investigations in Europe and South Korea reported potentially hazardous or non-compliant products sold through TEMU, including toys and items containing excessive chemical substances.

Digital Services Act investigation

European authorities investigated allegations involving illegal and counterfeit products, trader traceability, recommender systems and addictive design.

Legal dispute with Shein

TEMU and Shein became involved in legal disputes involving alleged copyright infringement and competition-related claims.

Forced-labor and de minimis concerns

A U.S. House committee report alleged an extremely high risk of forced labor in TEMU’s supply chain and criticized the company’s reliance on the de minimis import framework.

Privacy and malware-related scrutiny

U.S. researchers and policymakers raised concerns about TEMU’s data practices in the context of security findings involving the related Pinduoduo application.

United Kingdom advertising bans

The Advertising Standards Authority banned several TEMU advertisements after finding that some imagery sexualized a child or objectified women and that other product presentations were inappropriate.