Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has filed a lawsuit against Temu alleging the Chinese online shopping platform unlawfully collected consumer data, violated users’ privacy and sold counterfeit products tied to major Oklahoma brands.
The lawsuit, filed last week in Cleveland County District Court, accuses the company of deceptive business practices designed to mislead consumers while secretly harvesting sensitive user data. According to the complaint, the data collection allegedly benefited entities connected to the Chinese Communist Party.
The lawsuit claims Temu illegally collected user data without consumers’ knowledge or consent. The suit also alleges the company infringed on intellectual property belonging to organizations including the Oklahoma City Thunder, Oklahoma State University and University of Oklahoma.
The complaint further accuses Temu of using bait-and-switch signup promotions that promised rewards to users who invited friends to the platform but allegedly failed to deliver those prizes. It also alleges the company did not disclose the use of forced labor involving Chinese ethnic minorities in violation of U.S. trade policies.
“Temu built its business model on deception, exploiting consumers while undermining American companies and exposing users to serious privacy risks,” Drummond said. “My office will not stand by while companies illegally profit from Oklahomans’ personal data and deceive consumers.”
Temu became the most-downloaded shopping app in the United States in 2023 on both Apple and Android devices. The lawsuit alleges the app secretly accessed users’ precise location information, microphones, cameras and activity on other installed apps without consent.
“Oklahomans have a right to know when their personal information is being exploited and potentially funneled into the hands of a company with direct ties to Communist China,” Drummond said. “This lawsuit sends a clear message that Oklahoma will not tolerate companies using deceptive technology to spy on consumers and profit from stolen data.”
