Kentucky continues Temu on data confidentiality and intellectual property flight complaints
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First on Fox: The Kentucky Attorney General filed a complaint against the TEMU electronic commerce giant on Thursday, alleging that its application illegally gives the Chinese government access to data from American users and that the company raises the intellectual property of companies belonging to the United States.
In a complaint filed at the County Circuit of Woodford, lawyers asked for an injunction against Temu, an Amazon rival with a parent company from China, for what they have described as “multiple” damages.
Kentucky investigators have identified “code behavior” in the TEMU application which involved the collection of sensitive personal data from users in a manner that was not secure, in violation of state protection laws, lawyers said.
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A laptop keyboard and TEMU on the app store displayed on a phone screen. (Jakub Porzycki / Nurphoto via Getty Images)
“These damage to confidentiality and security are aggravated both because the TEMU application is deliberately designed to escape detection … and because the defendants – by their own (recognition) – have part of their operations located on continental China, where cybersecurity laws allow the government without deadline for data held by Chinese companies each time it wishes.”
The complaint allegedly alleged that TEMU is poorly collected Wi-Fi and GPS information from users, as well as camera data without appropriate authorization.
Lawyers have also alleged that TEMU is cheering to sell products using stolen intellectual property of large and small brands, including that of the historic Kentucky racecourse in Louisville.
“On the date of this file, TEMU offers dozens of what seems to be licensed products claiming to come from brands of Kentucky such as the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville, Buffalo Trace Distillery and Churchill Downs,” said the complaint.
The Kentucky General Prosecutor Russell Coleman speaks during the fancy farm picnic in Fancy Farm, Kentucky, August 5, 2023. (Ryan C. Hermens / Lexington Herald-Leader / Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
TEMU’s parent company is PDD Holdings, which is from China but has moved to Ireland. Before launching TEMU in the United States in 2022, PDD Holdings founded the Sister Sister of Temu, Pinduodoo, an online Chinese retailer.
TEMU became known for its highly reduced products and its aggressive advertising strategy, which included three lively advertisements of dollars at the Super Bowl last year. TEMU was the most downloaded Apple’s free application in 2023, according to Techcrunch.
Temu’s slogan is “shop like a billionaire”, although its price structure has been interrupted in recent months by Trump trade war with China.
Kentucky’s attorney general Russell Coleman said that “cheap products and flashy marketing” of the company distract more insidious problems.
“Their platform can infect Kentuckian devices with malware, steal their personal data and send it directly to the Chinese government,” Republican and former American lawyer said in a statement. “At the same time, they erode confidence in some of the most emblematic brands of Kentucky, which could cause job losses and difficulties.”
The Chinese flag displayed on a screen and the TEMU logo displayed on a phone screen are seen on this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland, June 8, 2025. (Akub Porzycki / Nurphoto via Getty Images)
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The trial is the last example of TEMU being a meticulous examination, mainly by the Republicans, for its links with China, an American opponent. Last year, 20 GOP General Prosecutors required TEMU ownership information on the allegations brought by the congress that its suppliers in China used forced work. TEMU denied the complaint at the time.
Fox News Digital contacted TEMU to comment.
