Missouri AG suing Temu, claiming privacy violations

Parker Padgett Tue, October 13, 2026 at 8:42 PM UTC

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MISSOURI — Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has her sights set on Temu, the popular online shopping outlet.

“My advice to all Missourians is to delete this app. Temu lied to you, stole your data, packaged it up, and potentially delivered it to the CCP,” said General Hanaway in a press release. “Our office will continue to crack down on illegal operations that intentionally harm Missouri consumers through deception and unlawful business practices. We will fight to protect Missourians’ privacy and to secure restitution for those victimized by Temu.”

Hanaway's office accuses the shopping site of having "aggressive and misleading data collection practices, misleading pricing, false statements about product quality, and other harmful business practices," while saying Temu has violated Missouri residents' privacy, hurt Missouri brands, and may have aided the CCP in the process.'

A press release on the issue says that a multi-year investigation into the app claims it was intentionally designed tosteale identifiable information and data from users and their devices.

Hanaway's suit also includes allegations of Temu being purposefully designed to 'hack into devices and facilitate extensive data exfiltration'.

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"Temu’s parent company, PDD Holdings, maintains substantial operations in mainland China, where the law obligates companies to provide authorities with unrestricted access to their data and to keep any such access confidential. PDD’s own public filings acknowledge this risk, though Temu users are never informed when they sign up. As a result, Temu and American users’ intimate and private data could be at the mercy of the Chinese communist regime," Hanaway's office claims.

“As we move into the holiday season, Missourians need to be especially wary of what websites, applications, and e-commerce platforms they and their children use. As we’ve seen in this case, many apps aren’t as safe as they may appear,” Hanaway adds in the release.“We want children to be safe in every online space, whether they’re using social media or engaging as consumers.”

The AG's office also says many violations involve trademarked material such as items featuring the Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Blues, and even beer brands like Anheuser-Busch and Budweiser.

The release ends with a way for those who believe they have been affected by Temu’s business practices.

They can submit an online complaint at ago.mo.gov or by calling 800-392-8222.

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