TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida is joining 20 other states in demanding answers from online retail company Temu about "alarming" reports regarding its alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), possible human rights violations and other concerns.
According to state Attorney General Ashley Moody, she and 20 other attorneys general are joining forces to get these answers from Temu. Moody says a congressional investigation found the online retailer could be illegally selling products made with "forced labor" in the People's Republic of China (PRC).
Specifically, the investigation allegedly found this potential forced labor is happening in Xinjiang, where the PRC is reportedly committing genocide against the Uyghurs, a Muslim ethnic minority group living in the region.
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Moody's office said the coalition of attorneys general is looking for information from Temu about its alleged ties to the CCP, how it collects and shares user data and potential violations of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA).
“A congressional investigation uncovered that Temu may be illegally selling products made with forced labor in an area of China in which the Chinese Communist Party is committing genocide," Moody said in a statement. "Additionally, there are reports that Temu is gathering U.S. consumer information and passing it along to the CCP. These reports are alarming—not only on a consumer protection front but in regards to national security as well. I along with my fellow attorneys general are urging the company’s owners to respond to these allegations.”
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Last week, Moody and the attorneys general coalition sent a letter to Temu's president and parent company executives expressing the above concerns.
The coalition is reportedly asking Temu for answers to nearly a dozen questions and requesting the online retailer to respond within 30 days.
You can read the full letter to Temu, including all 11 questions the AGs are demanding answers for by clicking or tapping here.