CNBNews

Seemingly overnight, everyone’s talking about Temu (pronounced “tee-moo”), an online shopping app that boasts deals that seem too good to be true, like $17 wireless earbuds, $1 “gold” necklaces, and $23 wedding dresses.

 

Over 50 million Americans have downloaded Temu since it launched state-side in September 2022, after it gained traction with expensive Super Bowl ads promising to let you “shop like a billionaire.”

 

Today, Temu is the most popular shopping app in the U.S., behind Amazon. But most of us know little about the App’s origins.

 

Reader Daniel Mayer asked, “Is [Temu] something we should be concerned about?”

 

I did some digging. And as it turns out, yes, you absolutely should be. Here’s what I found:

 

 

Where did Temu come from?

 

This isn’t some fly-by-night operation. Temu is based in Boston, Massachusetts, by PDD Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: PDD). PDD is headquartered in Shanghai, China. PDD also owns the e-commerce platform Pinduoduo headquartered in — you guessed it — China. So, Temu is a Communist China-based app and site.

 

What you need to know before using Temu:

 

First, you’re buying goods directly from manufacturers in China and other parts of the world. That’s why shipping times are often 12 days or longer. The prices are low because the goods are cheap. The pictures of what you see advertised may not be what you get.

 

Temu’s BBB rating is 2.21/5. Reviews at TrustPilot are interesting, with 38% 5-star reviews and 41% 1-star reviews.

 

But that’s not the worst of it.

 

Temu is downright dangerous.

 

The App is a clever, pervasive digital stalker. Temu monitors your activity on other apps as you shop, tracks your notifications and location, and changes settings.

 

It gets worse.

 

Temu gains full access to all your contacts, calendars, photo albums, social media accounts, chats, and texts. In other words, everything that is on your phone.

 

No shopping app needs this much control, especially one tied to Communist China. If you’re using Temu, delete the App from your phone ASAP.

 

On iPhone, Long-press an app, then tap Remove App> Delete App. Tap Delete to confirm.

 

Touch and hold an app on Android, then tap Remove App> Delete App> Delete.

 

Pro tip: If you downloaded Temu, you need to do a full factory reset to be safe from Chinese spies.

 

But wait, there’s more! Temu’s sister app was removed from Google Play because of malware.

 

Please do not buy from this company or use their App!