A lawsuit filed by Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway targets Temu, the popular e-commerce platform, with allegations that the company collects personal data without user consent, monitors browsing activity covertly, and engages in deceptive trade practices — conduct the suit connects to the retailer's Chinese business ties.
According to the lawsuit, Temu deployed deceptive pricing tactics, made inaccurate representations about the quality of its goods, and embedded covert software tools on users' mobile devices to harvest personal data without their knowledge or authorisation.
State officials indicated that the application carries the technical capacity to gather location data in real time, log what software is installed on a device, and access its camera and microphone without the user's knowledge.
State investigators identified portions of Temu's underlying source code as carrying characteristics associated with spyware and malware — including code traced back to an earlier version of the application that app stores removed over security concerns. Hanaway urged residents to delete the app, asserting that the company had misled users, collected their personal data without adequate disclosure, and potentially routed that information to Chinese government authorities.
The lawsuit draws attention to concerns about the security posture of Temu's parent company, PDD Holdings, given its substantial operational footprint in mainland China, while the office pledged to continue pursuing businesses that deceive Missouri consumers or engage in unlawful practices.
Laws in place within China obligate domestic firms to hand over stored user data to state authorities upon request, an arrangement that analysts say raises questions about both national security exposure and the privacy of consumers in the United States.
The filing further alleges that the platform directed gamified features and youth-oriented promotional content toward underage users, while leaving age-checking protocols largely unenforced. Regulators found that the platform had given minors access to items including drug paraphernalia and weapons, either through direct purchase or exposure to listings featuring those products.
Beyond the consumer protection claims, the lawsuit contends that Temu routinely offers for sale unlicensed goods bearing trademarks owned by well-known Missouri organisations — among them the Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, Anheuser-Busch, and the University of Missouri — without authorisation from those rights holders.
Congressional findings cited in the filing point to elevated risks of forced labour within the company's supply chain in China. Under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, state prosecutors are seeking a court order that would permanently bar the company from continuing the conduct at issue, while also pursuing civil monetary penalties and repayment to Missouri residents who sustained losses.
