With regards to shopping for stuff on-line, the primary platform that in all probability involves thoughts is Amazon. In any case, it’s the most important on-line retailer on the planet, and that’s not going to alter any time quickly.
With that mentioned, there’s a new participant on the town. You’ve in all probability already heard of this little app known as Temu.
Temu went dwell in September 2022, and it shortly grew to become one of the vital common on-line buying apps in each Google’s Play Retailer and Apple’s App Retailer. It even grew to become extra common than Amazon — a minimum of within the app shops.
Whereas this app sounds nice on paper, Temu has raised plenty of issues about privateness and the way it makes use of your information.
What Is Temu?
Temu is a web-based buying app like Amazon, Walmart, or Alibaba. On the time of writing, this platform may be present in 22 completely different areas, together with Canada, the US, the UK, Australia, and Mexico.
What makes Temu stand out is its cheaper costs. It really works equally to on-line platforms like AliExpress or Alibaba. This implies you’ll find plenty of decent-quality merchandise for a very low-cost worth.
After all, don’t count on to go to Temu and discover a high-quality telephone or a MacBook. In truth, one of many the explanation why Temu is dealing with points is due to the standard of its merchandise. Not solely that, however different folks report that they by no means really obtained what they paid for, which we’ll discuss a bit later.
Nevertheless, that’s not Temu’s largest drawback for the time being.
Temu Isn’t as Secure as You Suppose
The largest drawback Temu is dealing with proper now could be when it comes to safety. There have been many individuals who aren’t positive if they’ll belief Temu, and a few folks have gone as far as accusing Temu of promoting your information to China.
In keeping with the New York Put up, Temu is definitely stealing your information for communist China.
The reality of the matter is that Temu is gathering plenty of delicate information from its customers. It doesn’t matter for those who apply it to your iPhone or desktop. Temu is gathering extra information than you have to be comfy with.
In keeping with Komand, right here’s among the information Temu collects whilst you use it:
- Your identify.
- Handle.
- Cellphone Quantity.
- Birthday.
- Your image.
- The social media profiles you hyperlink to the account.
- The working system of the machine you’re utilizing.
- Your IP handle.
- Your GPS location.
Clearly, an e-commerce platform wants a few of this information as a way to allow you to buy one thing. Nevertheless, there’s plenty of personal information that Temu might do with out.
As Fred Nerenberg, senior cybersecurity advisor in Canada, informed CTV Information, “You’re basically on the mercy of what these firms are doing along with your information. I believe what they select to do with it’s form of up within the air. It’s below a special jurisdiction.”
Is Temu a Rip-off?
Privateness points aren’t the one concern relating to Temu. Some influencers and customers have come out and mentioned that Temu is definitely a rip-off.
There have been many allegations that Temu has promised plenty of completely different merchandise to influencers. However when the time comes, they both didn’t get the product in any respect, or they obtained one thing that didn’t appear to be the image.
That, in fact, won’t occur to everybody. Because it occurs with huge e-commerce platforms, some sellers may be scammers, however that doesn’t imply it’s the platform’s fault.
With that mentioned, regardless of how low-cost the product is, it’s not value being a sufferer of a rip-off.
Watch out for Temu
Whether or not you’ve been utilizing it for fairly some time or simply heard about it now, you may be higher off avoiding Temu altogether.
Whereas getting stuff at a less expensive worth looks as if an incredible concept, it’s simply not value it. Not solely would possibly you find yourself promoting your private information (with out your consent), however you may additionally not get what you obtain.
Generally, shopping for one thing low-cost may be very costly in the long term.