Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, along with 20 other attorneys general, is demanding answers from online retailer Temu.
Moody and the coalition seek information regarding the company’s alleged ties with the Chinese Communist Party, data collection and sharing practices, and possible violations of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
“A congressional investigation uncovered that Temu may be illegally selling products made with forced labor in an area of China in which the Chinese Communist Party is committing genocide,” Moody said in a press release. “Additionally, there are reports that Temu is gathering U.S. consumer information and passing it along to the CCP.
“These reports are alarming—not only on a consumer protection front but in regards to national security as well. I along with my fellow attorneys general are urging the company’s owners to respond to these allegations.”
In a letter sent August 15 to the president of Temu and the CEO of PPD Holdings Inc., the AGs outline concerns with the company’s business practices following reports that the company may not be following federal law or the states’ consumer protection laws.
Last year, the United States House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party noted Temu’s failure to comply with American laws prohibiting the use of forced labor by Uyghurs. The company said “it does not have a policy in place to prohibit the sale of goods from Xinjiang – the location of the CCP’s ongoing genocide against the Uyghurs.” Temu took it a step further and claimed it is not subject to the UFLPA.
The House committee also said Temu does not apply a real compliance system and concluded “that shipments from Temu containing products made with forced labor are entering the United States on a regular basis, in violation of the UFLPA.”
The AGs are asking Temu to answer the following questions and requests within the next 30 days:
X Does Temu or PDD Holdings collect U.S. consumer data? If so, please explain the type of data collected from U.S. consumers, including but not limited to data regarding consumer preferences, biometric data, political leanings, health data, race, religion or sex. Please explain the rationale for the different types of data collected and the manner in which you notify consumers of the type of data collected;
X How is U.S. consumer data retained and stored? Please provide documentation of Temu’s or PDD Holdings’ cybersecurity and data retention and storage policies for U.S. consumer data. What security measures are in place to prevent unauthorized third parties from accessing U.S. consumer data acquired or retained by Temu?
X Has the CCP, or any of its officials, members, or affiliates, required or requested that Temu or PDD Holdings turn over any data collected on U.S. citizens? If so, please state how many directives or requests you received and explain what data was requested and whether any (or all) data was turned over to the CCP;
X What consumer data does Temu or PDD Holdings retain when an individual consumer requests their data be deleted, or their account deactivated?
X Does Temu or PDD Holdings sell U.S. consumer data? If so, who does Temu or PDD Holdings sell that consumer data to, and are any measures employed to safeguard the identities of U.S. consumers? What percentage of profits are attributable to retail sales, and what percentage of profits are attributable to data sold to third parties?
X Various reports indicate that several former CCP members are on PDD Holdings’ executive leadership team. Do these members have access to any U.S. consumer data possessed or acquired by Temu? If so, please explain the nature of the members’ access to that data;
X How does Temu certify that the products sold on its platform are not produced by slave labor?
X Please identify all measures Temu has taken in the past and any measures currently being employed, including but not limited to any internal or external audits, or any rules and guidelines imposed on third party vendors or suppliers;
X How does Temu warrant to consumers that products sold on its platform do not involve the use of slave labor?
X CNN reports that Temu’s sister app (Pinduoduo), also owned by PDD Holdings, was removed from Google Play in 2023 after experts discovered malware that could be used to spy on users. Did the same app developer create the Temu app? X Please explain in detail all measures Temu has taken in the past and any measures currently being employed to ensure the app is free of malware or any other programs that would allow Temu or anyone else to spy on U.S. users; and
X What steps does Temu or PDD Holdings take to notify consumers that products sold on its platform are subject to safety recalls? What steps does Temu or PDD Holdings take to warrant to consumers the safety of products sold on its platforms?
Moody is joined by in the letter by the AGs from Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.