The State of Kentucky is going to court against a significant online retail outlet. Attorney General Russell Coleman announced Thursday that the state is suing Temu, a Chinese online shopping platform, for unlawful data collection, violations of customers’ privacy and counterfeiting.
The lawsuit was filed in Woodford Circuit Court. The action alleges that Temu illegally collects data without users’ knowledge and consent. It also alleges that Temu allows unfettered access of that data to the Chinese government.
Further, the state is accusing Temu of stealing the intellectual property of some of Kentucky’s most iconic brands. Those would include the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, Buffalo Trace Distillery and Churchill Downs. Other claims are made in the action as well.
Temu became the most-downloaded mobile app in the U.S. in 2023. It is owned by a multibillion-dollar Chinese holding company, PDD Holdings, whose first retail app, Pinduoduo, was eventually banned from U.S. app stores for being malware.
In a news release, Coleman states the Temu app shares a significant amount of its code with the original Pinduoduo app and has a documented relationship with the Chinese Communist Party.
