If it’s (almost) free, you’re the product, says an old internet adage. The Chinese e-commerce site Temu has withdrawn a promotional campaign in France and the United Kingdom after a controversy over the use of customer data, the company said on Saturday.
This offer consisted in France of “purchasing and using for life several personal data of its customers in exchange for money and vouchers”, indicated on Saturday The Parisian.
This campaign, “launched in England for more than a week, has been offering for a few days in France to benefit from a prize pool of at least 100 euros by downloading the application and clicking on a sponsorship link. Except that in passing, the beneficiary agreed to sell part of his personal data for life,” writes the newspaper.
The Chinese group, affirming that “the program has been very successful in France, with many satisfied customers”, said it had decided to “temporarily remove it” due to “misunderstandings about the extent of (its) use of information customer”, in a message sent to AFP on Saturday, confirming information from the Parisian. And this, “although we only use usernames and profile photos,” says a spokesperson in this message.
The press office said the program was also being “temporarily removed” in the UK in a bid to “optimize it based on customer feedback”, but had not responded as of Saturday afternoon to requests for clarification on other countries possibly concerned.
“We are committed to making improvements to ensure clarity and an even better experience for everyone,” he continues, assuring that “Temu is committed to protecting the privacy of its customers.” “We do not and will not sell customer data,” adds Temu.
Questioned by AFP, the National Commission for Information Technology and Liberties (Cnil) indicated on Saturday that it had not received “to date” any complaints targeting the Temu application.
She reminds that “the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and the Data Protection Act recognize people’s rights over their data (in particular, the right to access, rectify and oppose), which people cannot waive. , including for money.”
“The sale of data would require people to give up these rights,” adds the digital privacy watchdog.
Launched in 2022, the Temu application has experienced meteoric growth, driven by its very low prices for items ranging from clothing to cosmetics, including jewelry. It particularly appeals to people with low incomes, playing on the possibility of “buying like a billionaire”, according to its slogan.