/>iFollowing in the footsteps of almost two dozen attorneys general in other states, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman filed a lawsuit on July 17, 2025, against Chinese online shopping platform Temu, alleging that it unlawfully collects Kentuckians’ data, violating their privacy, and counterfeiting “some of Kentucky’s most iconic brands.”
The complaint alleges that 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.
According to the Attorney General’s press release, Temu in 2023 became “the most-downloaded mobile app in the U.S.” The lawsuit alleges that Temu is owned by a Chinese holding company, PDD Holdings, which offered the app Pinduoduo, which has been banned from U.S. based app stores “for being malware. 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.”
The Attorney General alleges that Temu “can infect Kentuckians’ devices with malware, steal their personal data and send it directly to the Chinese government. At the same time, they’re eroding trust in some of Kentucky’s most iconic brands, which could lead to job losses and hardship.”
Similar to the state lawsuits against TikTok, we anticipate that more states will focus their consumer protection regulatory eyes on Temu and its collection and use of consumers’ data in the coming months.
n the meantime, consumers may wish to consider the allegations set forth in Attorney General Coleman’s complaint before downloading Temu, which raises similar concerns as TikTok.
