Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has recently sued online shopping platform Temu, claiming that its app illegally collects personal data from citizens, sells counterfeit merchandise, and “misleads” shoppers. The lawsuit sparked outrage among some Missouri residents, as multiple people complained that the AG’s priorities were misguided and that she should not be targeting Temu.
As reported by STLPR, the AG’s office accuses the app of unknowingly gathering information about users and accessing their cameras and microphones. Hanaway expressed concern that this information could reach the Chinese government, as Temu’s parent company, PDD Holdings, has extensive operations in China. The AG also urged locals to delete the app.
The state also alleges that Temu sold unauthorized merchandise bearing the trademarks of the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, Anheuser-Busch, and the University of Missouri. However, none of these allegations had been independently verified in court at the time of this report.
Missourians Criticize Attorney General Catherine Hanaway
Users on r/Missouri were unhappy to see the popular shopping app targeted by the AG’s office and considered the lawsuit misguided, complaining: “Missouri: Addressing everything but the real problems.”
Others made fun of allegations that an app could access a person’s photo gallery or files: “It’s almost like the app tells you this and asks for these permissions to use the app. Wild, I know.” This seemed to be a popular position, as others added: “Like Google, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, the White House app, Disney, and Apple? Oh, no!”
Someone said sarcastically: “It’s almost as if corporations can access every aspect of your life at a whim, as they wish, because the government (generally) refuses to put any manner of guardrails on their true bosses.” Others commented: “Data has been the new oil rush for at least a decade now.”
What really seemed to irritate some locals was that technologies such as the unpopular Flock cameras continued to operate in many locations while Hanaway decided to target Temu: “The fact that they have the audacity to do this when Flock is even worse is astounding.”
The lawsuit is still in its early stages, so it will likely be some time before the court determines whether the allegations against the app have merit.
