Temu is now being accused of being malware and spyware "granting itself access to virtually all data on a user's cell phone" in the latest state-led lawsuit filed against the Chinese-based shopping app.
In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin alleged Temu of violating the state privacy and trade laws for monetizing illegally obtained user data.
Griffin also raised "significant security risks" in using Temu for being "led by a cadre of former Chinese Communist Party officials."
The Arkansas attorney general is touting the "first-of-its-kind lawsuit" as part of the state's steps to crack down on Temu's "deceptive trade practices and violations of users' privacy."
Temu has yet to issue a statement regarding the new lawsuit.
New Data Privacy Challenges Temu's International Operations
This was not the first time Temu's international operations have faced challenges amid concerns about the platform's data privacy and trade policies.
Earlier last year, Apple temporarily suspended the e-commerce app on its App Store amid allegations of misleading its users about handling their data.
Temu's sister app Pinduoduo was also previously banned from the Google Play Store over data privacy concerns.
Despite mounting safety concerns, Temu remains the most popular shopping app in the US for both Play Store and App Store.
Chinese Tech Firms Faces US Gov't Crackdowns Amid Spying Allegations
The lawsuit against Temu is only part of the growing US government-led crackdowns against Chinese tech firms over supposed connection to the Chinese government.
Similar sentiments have earlier been aired when lawmakers pushed to pass the law banning Beijing-based ByteDance and all of its apps, including TikTok, from the US.
Several lawmakers who advocated for the law claimed they only supported the legislation due to concerns about China accessing US users' data and influencing Americans through ByteDance and TikTok.
The crackdowns came amidst rising tensions between the two superpower countries over trade, hacking, and international relations disputes.
