Arizona AG Sues Temu Over 'Stealing' User Data

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is suing Temu, alleging the Temu app secretly accesses and harvests users’ sensitive information without their knowledge or consent, in a case brought under the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act. According to a Dec. 2 press release, the complaint claims Temu collects an alarming amount of sensitive personal data and PII, including users’ precise location, device microphone and camera access, and private activity on other apps, all without consent.

The lawsuit also contends Temu is designed to evade front-end security reviews, uses multiple layers of encryption to shield itself from forensic inspection, and can alter its own code after download to exploit data or control a device in unknown ways. Temu has denied the allegations in a statement shared with Dark Reading.

The complaint notes Temu is owned by PDD Holdings, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Ireland in 2023, and suggests Chinese law could require data sharing with the Chinese government. Arizona seeks a permanent injunction, civil penalties, and other relief.