Arkansas Sues Chinese-Owned Temu for Alleged Deceptive Practices

State accuses Temu of using low-cost goods to gain ‘near limitless’ access to customers’ personal info.

A mobile phone displays the app of cross-border e-commerce platform Temu in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China, on Oct 28, 2022. CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images

Arkansas has filed a lawsuit against Temu, one of the most popular online shopping apps in the United States, accusing the Chinese-owned platform of violating state privacy laws and engaging in deceptive trade practices. The lawsuit, filed on June 25, cites breaches of the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the Arkansas Personal Information Protection Act.

Temu uses low-cost Chinese-made goods to lure users into unknowingly providing “near-limitless access to their personally identifiable information,” according to the lawsuit.