(LEX 18) — Attorney General Russell Coleman announced that he has filed a lawsuit against the Chinese shopping platform, Temu, after he said the marketplace has unlawfully collected Kentuckians data, violated privacy, and has produced counterfeit items on iconic Kentucky brands.
Coleman detailed that the complaint, filed in Woodford County Circuit Court, alleged the following against Temu:
- Illegally collects users’ data without their knowledge and consent;
- Allows unfettered access of that data to the Chinese Communist government;
- Steals the intellectual property of U.S.-owned companies, including some of Kentucky’s most iconic brands including the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, Buffalo Trace Distillery and Churchill Downs; and
- Uses forced labor from Chinese ethnic minorities in clear violation of U.S. trade policies.
“Temu’s cheap products and flashy marketing hide real danger. Their platform can infect Kentuckians’ devices with malware, steal their personal data and send it directly to the Chinese government,” said Attorney General Coleman. “At the same time, they’re eroding trust in some of Kentucky’s most iconic brands, which could lead to job losses and hardship. Kentuckians need a strong defense against this aggression, and that’s exactly what the Attorney General’s Office intends to do.”
The complaint also claimed that Temu is known to fraud consumers, "from advertising items that look nothing like the items that eventually arrive, to faking customer reviews," along with allegedly using payment information to order items that the customer never ordered.
Find the full complaint below.
Complaint against Temu in Kentucky by LEX18News on Scribd
