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Updated 2/28/24 8:55 a.m.
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Several people from Massachusetts have joined a class action lawsuit against a popular Chinese E-commerce company after they said the app stole their data.
The Hagens Berman law firm filed the lawsuit against Temu on Feb. 16. on behalf of three plaintiffs in Massachusetts and several others in states like California, New York, and Virginia.
The Massachusetts plaintiffs said Temu broke the Massachusetts Wiretap Act which makes it illegal to intercept or eavesdrop through electronic recording without a search warrant or consent.
The lawsuit claims the app has malware and spyware that bypasses phone security systems to download biometric information like voiceprints, fingerprints, and track users online activity.
The complaint states the app is especially dangerous since there's no way to know the app is taking data. It states that once downloaded, Temu's tools can override security measures, change phone settings, access text messages, and can take control of the phone's camera.
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The Chinese company's U.S. headquarters is located in Boston's Back Bay.
In a statement to WBZ NewsRadio, a spokesperson for Temu called the lawsuit "meritless" and said the company intends to "vigorously defend" itself.
"The complaints are essentially taken from a short-seller report by Grizzly Research, which has stated clearly that its reports are not based on statements of fact," a Temu spokesperson said. "At Temu, safeguarding privacy and maintaining transparency in our data practices are our core values."
The spokesperson also said Temu is working on improving communication. "Even though the Grizzly Research report was completely groundless, we recognize the need to communicate our data practices and security protocols to users in an open and transparent manner."
Temu became a popular shopping app in 2022 and has grown in popularity. It is advertised on social media sites like TikTok.
The app claims it has more than 100 million customers around the world.
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