21 State Attorneys General Demand Answers From Temu Over Business Practices, CCP Connections

Attorneys general from 21 states are demanding answers from Chinese budget online retailer Temu, questioning whether it has done enough to protect consumers from data privacy misuse and products made with illegal forced labor.
“Temu’s business practices and apparent ties to the Chinese Communist Party are deeply concerning,” Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said in a statement on Aug. 15. “As attorney general, it’s my job to protect Montanans from bad actors who may be coming after their sensitive consumer data and hold anyone who has violated our consumer protection laws accountable.”
“Montana has additional concerns about Temu’s and PDD Holding’s data collection practices. Like other companies subject to CCP control, Montana believes that Temu is obligated to collect and send Montana consumer data to the CPP on demand,” the letter reads.
“The Montana Consumer Data Privacy Act goes into effect on October 1, 2024, and given the CCP’s demonstrated history of using CCP-affiliated companies to target and track U.S. consumers, Montana remains concerned that Temu will flout Montana law.”
Aside from Temu, other Chinese-owned companies have been drawing scrutiny over consumer data security, including video-sharing app TikTok and e-commerce platform Shein, given that Chinese authorities can compel local firms to hand over data under different Chinese laws.
“The [People’s Republic of China] likely views the expansion of Chinese-owned apps in the United States as an opportunity to develop new malign influence effort launch points and to harvest data across a range of industry verticals,” the post reads.
“As such, it is important to consider the background context of the CCP’s data control objectives and the PRC legislation that facilitate these efforts not only in relation to TikTok, Temu, and Shein but also for all Chinese-owned apps.”
“Various reports indicate that several former CCP members are on PDD Holdings’ executive leadership team,“ the letter reads. ”Do these members have access to any U.S. consumer data possessed or acquired by Temu?”
Other questions relate to the types of data collected from U.S. consumers, the locations of data storage, whether CCP officials have “required or requested” that Temu or PDD Holdings turn over any U.S. data, and how Temu notifies consumers about product recalls over safety concerns.
“Temu’s too-good-to-be-true deals are made possible by supply chains built with slave labor along with deep connections with the Chinese Communist Party. In exchange for heavily discounted and cheaply made items, Temu gains full access to your phone and the ability to harvest the personal data of American consumers,” Lucci stated.
“Much like TikTok, Temu is [a] trendy app that allows the CCP to infiltrate the United States, exert control over our supply chains, gain access to Americans’ private information, and develop long-term tools of economic coercion.”
The Epoch Times contacted Temu for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.