Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has announced a lawsuit against the popular Chinese e-commerce retailer Temu, accusing the company of stealing vast amounts of customer data.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, positions Arizona alongside several other states taking legal action against Temu and its parent company, PDD Holdings Inc.
Mayes stated that Temu’s application deceives customers about the quality of its products while secretly collecting sensitive personal information without user consent.
The collected data allegedly includes GPS locations and a list of other applications installed on a user’s phone.
During a press conference reported by The Detroit News, Mayes called it “possibly the gravest violation of the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act we have ever seen,” highlighting the scale of the unauthorized data access.
The lawsuit expresses deep concern about Temu’s ties to China, where laws can compel companies to hand over data to the government.
A forensic review conducted by investigators in Arizona reportedly found that the app contains code identified by experts as malware or spyware.
This code is allegedly designed to extract data from a user’s device while concealing its actions from security audits.
In addition to data theft, the state alleges that Temu has copied the intellectual property of local brands. Including the Arizona Cardinals and Arizona State University, thereby engaging in unfair business practices.
Temu has denied the allegations in a statement, emphasizing its commitment to providing affordable products to consumers.
The company said, “We work to keep costs down and maintain a reliable supply so people can meet their needs without stretching their budgets.”
Similar lawsuits have been filed by attorneys general in Kentucky, Nebraska, and Arkansas. Mayes has called for more decisive federal government intervention to protect consumers and has urged Arizonans to delete their Temu accounts, uninstall the app, and scan their devices for potential malware.
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