I found the Temu App by accident some time around Thanksgiving of 2022. It featured a large variety of low-cost merchandise, much like I have seen advertised for Shein, Wish, and other online sites.
As I browsed, I realized that there were a lot of things that interested me: a few lightbulbs, tons of Christmas decorations, house shoes, blankets, rugs, clothes and more. I compared it to an online Ollie’s.
I was wary, however, since I had heard horror stories about items that friends had ordered from those other online bargain shops. I decided to investigate it a bit and at least find out where it was located.
A quick search told me that the shop was based in Massachusetts, and I thought, “Ah. It’s American. Cool!”
Located in America Doesn’t Mean American Made
Although I should have realized it at the time, it didn’t really occur to me until later that just because a company is based in America doesn’t mean that its products are American-Made. In fact, there are companies that claim the “American-Made” status on their products when they are actually produced in other countries.
How do they get away with this? Well, the parts to make the products, such as parts to make a car, are manufactured in a country such as China or Mexico, and then those parts are shipped to America to be put together. Technically, these companies should have the status “American-Assembled” and not “American-Made,” but I digress.
As far as Temu is concerned, while their company is based out of Massachusetts, their products are not made or assembled in America. They are owned by PDD Holdings Inc., which is located in…you guessed it…Shanghai, China.
That’s why their stuff can sometimes take up to two weeks to ship to you. It’s not coming from Massachusetts. As USA Today points out, Temu products are shipping all the way from China.
What’s Really being Sold? YOU
Some readers may be thinking the same way that I used to think: what difference does it really make where the items come from if I am happy with them? Well, as far as the products are concerned, if you are willing to wait a bit to get them, it really doesn’t seem to matter much, especially since you can get them much cheaper than some American-made products.
But what are you actually paying? What is the actual cost to Temu Customers and what are these businesses actually selling? Apps such as Temu and companies such as PDD Holdings aren’t just making their money from your purchases.
Just like Facebook and other social media apps, these shopping apps are making their fortunes by collecting and selling your information. The real product being sold here isn’t that $3 pair of bedroom shoes that you bought for Aunt Midge’s birthday. The true seller isn’t Temu.
The true seller and product are both YOU.
Chinese Firms are LEGALLY REQUIRED to Steal Your Data
Here is where it gets scary; in China, business owners legally have no choice as to whether they give your information to Communist China. Maybe you, like me, have tried to convince yourself, “Ah, sure these Chinese apps could sell my information, but they probably aren’t.”
“They wouldn’t sell my information and risk losing customers… They’re just trying to sell cheap products, right?”
Wrong.
In late December, an advisory was sent out from the Department of Homeland Security that warned American business owners what the actual price is of doing business with any data services or equipment from firms that have any ties to the People’s Republic of China.
It was noted not only to be a major threat to American citizens, but to the data security of the US government as well.
Newly enacted law in China compels any citizen of their country as well as any Chinese business to “support and facilitate” Communist China’s government access to the “collection, transmission, and storage of data.”
That means your data, my data, and even our government’s data. These companies can be required to store your data inside of the borders of China and allow their government access to it or face criminal prosecution.
Now you tell me, do you think they are going to risk an arrest in Communist China just to “do the right thing” and not sell your information?
What It Really Costs You: Info Temu Collects From Your Phone
Okay, so it is obvious that your information really is being sold to Communist China, but does it really matter? So, they know that you bought bedroom shoes, that’s all they can learn from me using apps such as TicToc or Temu, right?
Wrong again.
Among other bits of information, the Temu app collects your name, your address, and your phone number. So that’s who your are, where you live, and which phone you use (which can make it easier to locate you.)
It also collects other information that you enter into apps, such as your birthday, pictures of you, and your social media profiles that you connect to the app. Now it has every bit of information that you’ve given to Facebook, Twitter, etc., perhaps even the parts that you chose to “keep private.”
The apps also learn which operating system that your phone uses, and which version of it you currently have. Your IP address, and even your GPS location is given to apps such as Temu, which gives Communist China exact location information on you every second of every day that you have that phone, or any device that has a version of Google Maps, etc.
Your browsing data is also included in the information collected by these apps. Everything that you’ve looked up. People with this information don’t only know what you’re shopping for, they know which restaurants you’ve searched for, what types of health issues that you’ve “Googled,” addresses, school schedules, church locations…
What else do you search for online? Your light company website? Internet provider site? What about your online banking?
And now they’re luring in even more people with their “free games.” Seems that we still need to learn that nothing is ever “free.”
Third-party information is also given to the Chinese government by these companies. Public records, data brokers, marketing partners, credit bureaus, etc. are all required by these Chinese laws to share your information.
What does this mean for me? Well, it definitely means that I will research apps, social media sites, and online shopping stores a bit more thoroughly in the future. It seems those $2 light bulbs were quite expensive.
By, Angie Kaye
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