Kentucky attorney general sues Temu over malware, counterfeiting claims

Christopher Leach, Lexington Herald-Leader on Jul 17, 2025

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Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman announced Thursday he’s suing a popular Chinese online shopping platform over claims of privacy invasion and counterfeiting, among other claims.

The lawsuit against Temu, a Chinese company that sells goods at discounted prices, was filed Thursday in Woodford County Circuit Court.

A news release from Coleman’s office says the company was the most downloaded mobile app in the U.S. in 2023, and the attorney general claims it has illegally collected users’ data without consent and allowed the Chinese government to access the data.

Several other states have filed similar suits against Temu, including Nebraska and Arkansas.

Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers said in a news release that when users download the Temu app, malware that bypasses device security is secretly installed and gives the company unrestricted access to users’ phones.

Temu has such advanced malware evasion techniques that detection is almost impossible, Hilgers said.

Chinese law requires Temu to provide user data to the government upon request, Hilgers said. Chinese law also requires Temu to lie about the transaction.

“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,” Coleman said in the news release.

Coleman also claimed Temu is counterfeiting some of Kentucky’s most iconic brands, including the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, Buffalo Trace Distillery and Churchill Downs.

Hilgers said Temu knows about its counterfeit practices but makes it difficult for rights owners to address them.

“They’re eroding trust in some of Kentucky’s most iconic brands, which could lead to job losses and hardship,” Coleman said in the news release. “Kentuckians need a strong defense against this aggression, and that’s exactly what the Attorney General’s Office intends to do.”

Temu is owned by PDD Holdings, a multi-billion-dollar Chinese holding company. PDD Holdings’ first retail app, Pinduoduo, was eventually banned from U.S. app stores for containing malware.

Temu shares a significant amount of coding with the original Pinduoduo app, according to the news release.

Temu has also been accused of many types of consumer fraud, such as false advertising, fake customer reviews and using existing payment information to order items that were never purchased, according to the news release.