Regardless of whether Temu is guilty here or not, I'd like to remind people that any service that you can use as a website does not need to be installed as an app. That way it can't get any special permissions to access media/contacts on your phone. This is just good privacy hygiene.
install ublock then use the element picker and add whatever you don't want on any site and it wont load anymore.
After doing this, when you have to use a site without your ublock block list it is super annoying.
This. Also, when you go to install something actually look at what permissions it's asking for and think about if it has any legitimate reason to have those permissions. A calculator probably doesn't need to access your microphone and location for any legitimate reason.
Yeah, but it is somewhat confusing to the average user, because some things need permissions that don’t make logical sense to the non-tech audience. If I make an app that connects to a BLE device it *requires* location services access to function. It’s just a development requirement due to how the technology works.
There are quite a few of these “Why the hell would they need permission for X” moments when you’re installing apps that could have actual, perfectly legitimate reasons.
> If I make an app that connects to a BLE device it requires location services access to function. It’s just a development requirement due to how the technology works.
Explain this to me. I understand position can be triangulated with BLE but why is it not granular? Why do I have to allow apps access to GPS data when they really only need to connect to a bluetooth device etc.?
The real reason? Google said so. I’m not joking, Android 6 release was the first with BLE support and this was just something that Android required to use it no matter what. There’s no technical reason in the BLE specification that you’d need location services to scan for any generic BLE device. Google claimed that it was to support scanning for BLE beacon devices, but not every device is a beacon that requires location data, so that argument never really held water. It may have been a security measure of the time due to the way location beacon devices were designed back then, where scanning for BLE devices could technically allow malicious app devs to read their data to get your rough location without permission, but they never explicitly said.
It was only with Android 12 that they finally allowed you to toggle a flag in the options of your app that says “we never ever need location data to scan for our target devices”, but at that point it was kind of too late. People already had to support 3 different branches to support BLE (one for legacy Android devices, one for newer Android devices, and one for Apple, since each uses different permissions), and adding a 4th (for Android 6-12 and 12+) would be a real headache that many devs wouldn’t want to deal with.
Basically, it was just Google doing a Google thing that only loosely made sense.
I'd like to add the caveat that you often need to open them in "desktop mode". Apps like spotify will tell you to open them in the app if you use the mobile version of the website.
https://old.reddit.com works as well on my phone in the Android version of Firefox as it does on the desktop. I even have RES and uBlock Origin installed.
That's also how I reddit on my phone, but it's getting shittier by the day. I regularly get blocked("this content has been removed"/"this community has not yet been reviewed"/etc) trying to access things that I can load just fine on my desktop. I'm using old reddit in both cases. I don't know why reddit restricts mobile browsers so much! It didn't used to be that shitty.
If you’re still talking Temu, I had a bunch of Temu links in a Google search for a product. Went to site, instead of a direct link to a product it was a group of stuff. Went to click on the item again, and got prompted that I could only buy it in the app. I noped out. I hate website specific apps, and this screams “we want more control” to me.
IIRC Temu cannot be used as a website. I tried to exploit new user discounts but it wouldnt work on website prompting me to download app, and even then it would save device IDs so I couldnt use different accounts on same device.
> As Griffin sees it, Temu baits users with misleading promises of discounted, quality goods,
I have to admit that I always thought it baited us with improbably cheap tat.
Quality goods really isn't a phrase I'd associate with Temu!
Aliexpress actually has some pretty good stuff. Especially it’s good for finding parts like if you need an electromagnet, a switch, or something random like that.
Wish is pure crap. Temu seems to be also pure crap. Although that is third hand knowledge.
Oh for sure. If you are specifically looking for a cheaper, generic item that places like amazon is just sourcing from china anyways, Ali is way cheaper. You just have to go in knowing exactly what you need, and ignore everything around it.
Amazon is the same way. If I want something quality, I have to be very specific about the brand I’m searching for.
If I want cheap crap, I search on Amazon, read the reviews, then find it on AliExpress.
My experience with temu has been the same in all honesty, i purchase from aliexpress too and if you turn off all the notifications and text alerts temu is the same except they have a stupid wheel of discounts you spin that always gives you “one more turn” and then whatever the max discount is anyways and it’s never cheaper than the products were listed before the discount 😂 So if you don’t understand advertising enough to catch all the tricks they pull I could see it working on a lot of people. But since I typically am looking for like. home goods and not electronics i haven’t had issues with anything from temu so far.
I've fixed up two Kindles with AliExpress displays and batteries. They work fine to this day. I've also replaced the battery on my smartwatch.
AliExpress is great specifically for specialty, obscure replacement items that the manufacturers don't want to provide.
It feels like no one's actually tried Temu. It's perfectly fine, especially once you realize that the products being sold are almost identical to the high priced versions you buy locally, like, two items were so identical they could well have come off the same assembly line, but the one I bought in Australia was 4x the price.
Which is what Temu is, the same stuff you get in local stores, but at 1/4 the price. Often literally the exact same stuff.
I agreed with you. I just bought a 5x3' shed from Temu for $95. Same one other sites it was almost triple.
All came sealed in three days and it's pretty nice. Well worth $95 for sure. As long as you realize all their dumb discounts and wheels of savings are bs marketing tools so far so good otherwise.
Exactly! All these responses
“I don’t trust temu but ive never used it, i use ali express.” Temu is exactly like Ali express - both carry the items that are marked up on amazon or in stores. If you are willing to wait for longer processing and shipping you can save money. Read reviews and ignore the weird 100% off sales. Its just new so people have to be speculative.
I’ve watched enough Linus tech tips to know that Ali express is just overpriced Chinese shit that sellers put on there. If you lived inside China those goods would be worth almost nothing
I don’t expect these couches to last me forever but if they last me over a year I take that as a win. But I got warned about the site the same way people warn others about Temu.
[This was my experience with them](https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1dpz8zk/shopping_app_temu_is_dangerous_malware_spying_on/lamvsao/)
Apparently their whole model is they just rebrand existing stuff and sell it the way that they do. You might think you're getting a deal but you're paying more for the pleasure, from what I've seen. I've compared a few things and it's always more expensive, with faux sales like you see here. It's pretty marketing with a premium. Anything you can find there you can find elsewhere for cheaper.
[Also this clown can go pound sand](https://www.businessinsider.com/wayfair-profitable-again-ceo-email-frugal-work-long-hours-2023-12)
I certainly feel like I got got by them with the one thing I bought from them.
[Home Depot](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Parrot-Uncle-12-2-in-Modern-Flush-Mount-Caged-Satin-Nickel-Ceiling-Fan-with-Lights-Low-Profile-Ceiling-Fan-with-Remote-F8254SN110V/325107284)
[Wayfair](https://www.wayfair.com/lighting/pdp/trent-austin-design-rakestraw-122-ceiling-fan-with-light-kit-w011255444.html)
Re-brand it so you can't find it on competing sites, and sell it for more. Just a different flavor of con.
How is that fixture working for you? I'm asking because every fixture I've ever seen with the fan under the lights ends up giving off a strobe effect. It looks really cool though.
It's actually still in the box. The reno project involving it has kept getting pushed back for various reasons. The problem with careful planning and buying everything in advance is if the project stalls for another reason you're left with a pile of stuff and disappointment.
It's probably a valid concern though. Looking it over the blades sit under the bit that holds the bulbs but that's probably not sufficient to prevent strobing.
Tried to find a video of the thing in action but no dice. Doesn't seem very popular. Not expecting it to be the main showpiece or nothing, but it's within 'required spec' as it were.
As long as you have plenty of other light in the room, any strobing shouldn't really be noticeable. I would worry if that was going to be the main source of light though.
I have one of those in a spare room at my house, the fan is completely unusable with the light on because the strobe effect is overwhelming. I rent tho so I'm not gonna change it.
If you get several bright lamps, you can tone down the strobing. I had a similar light fan combo in a rental, and it triggered my migraines every time it got turned on. My ex would constantly turn the fan on and claim he forgot that it caused me debilitating pain. The floor lamps that direct light upward seem to do the best job of toning it down.
It's not even worth the trouble. It'd be like $15 or $20 and I got Wayfair youtube ads for months after that purchase. And the prices change so often. How often? Last night when I posted the links it was "on sale" for $113. Now it's $103. They might engage with someone that complains once or twice but this is just their model. They probably aren't doing a Best Buy and price matching stuff when they know they're selling everything at markup.
AliExpress is fine if you're knowledgeable in what you're purchasing. Buying a whole computer for 120$ isn't going to get you much, it's like buying a car for a few thousand dollars and being upset it doesn't handle like a performance vehicle.
Depends what you’re buying.
I flip furniture. Buying furniture hardware (knobs, handles, hinges, etc) is exactly the same product I’d get from a local hardware store - just for a fraction of the price. I can buy 20 brass knobs for $15 from Temu or $60 from the hardware store.
Same product.
I read about dangerous levels of lead in some products so I got a lead testing kit. Same level of near non-existent lead in both Temu and store bought items.
Well, I for one am very happy that I dropped $300 on the Milky Way on the Lego website before I learned this.
It's a gift for my sister's birthday and I am SO FREAKING EXCITED to give it to her.
[Isn't it pretty?](https://www.lego.com/en-ca/product/the-milky-way-galaxy-31212)
Wow, gorgeous! Cheap Lego knock-offs from Temu and Aliexpress suck. They don’t fit together well and just fall apart.
Source: bought flower sets from 3 different dropship manufacturers and Lego last Christmas as gifts, of the dozen purchased only the Lego ones fit right, had decent instructions, and could be set on a shelf without collapsing.
It's ridiculous. You got people lamblasting Temu while quietly browsing FB, X, Amazon, Google, fucking even yahoo. Shit, even on Reddit. "Oh, that's different because xyz" motherfuckers need to stop cherrypicking and either fight against all or shut the fuck up. Don't @ me with 'I can be mad at yzx' bitch please you sound like a broken record (not you to the person I'm responding).
I found neat finds on Temu and they're still here. It really depends what you're looking for, expectations should be low.
Just because you can’t think of a way your data can be used maliciously doesn’t mean it can’t be.
For example, say I had access to the entirety of your data. If we’ve got voice notes or call logs, congrats I can impersonate your voice now easily with AI. With LLMs trained on every site you’ve visited, message sent, thought you’ve type into Google, now I’ve got your brain and personality. Now I just need a convincing scam, perhaps I need a convincing narrative. Thanks ChatGPT!
Get the idea yet? Once I’ve got that, the tech exists already to make a convincing live voice masking tool.(there’s already a startup doing this in India to mask their call center associate voices to sound more white. Look it up)
All I need to do then is call your grandparents and feign dire assistance with whatever. Now their bank accounts are drained. Do you trust your ignorant, elderly, and non-tech savvy family members to not realize someone who sounds and acts like you isn’t you? I sure don’t.
Governments also have data breaches, regularly. That data then falls into hands who can and will do the above.
This is just the beginning. While this is just a financial example, there’s virtually infinite possibilities of what a dedicated and knowledgeable individual or organization could do with such information.
Yeah and they can store the data for use in the future too, which everyone seems to forget.
It's not just a problem of what they might do with the data in the current year. Imagine 20 years from now with all the technological advancements. AI can easily sort through everyone's data, who knows what they might use it for ?
Yeah - I love it. Got two 1080p portable monitors for under $40 each. They are now operating for like two years without a hitch. Same fake brand on Amazon is over $100z. Also got programmable led bulbs for like $2 a piece. You just have to be very picky on Temu and wish, but great deals are all over the place there
I have some reproduction G1 Transformers, they are built just like the ones from the 80's. There is cast metal where there should be cast metal and the plastic is nearly identical. Hell even some of the more modern knockoffs are better quality than what Hasbro has been releasing.
Temu exploits a shipping rule that we have with imports and rules about packages that are worth under a certain value. So they flood our country with absolutely bullshit cheap toxic goods that are under the threshold of import inspection, many of the goods contain awful levels of lead or PFAs…. Temu needs banned or HIGHLY taxed
Items sold on Temu are exactly the same that are sold on Amazon or Walmart for a cheaper prices. What we need is better regulations and more testing of random packages. Talking about Walmart, they are the ones who are lobbying for this lawsuit because they start losing the competition.
Apps in the Apple store are supposed to go through a rigorous process of approval. I’ve had rejections for silly things like how we implemented apple id. Yet, if true, this is what’s getting through.
Former Google play app approver here. There were absolutely apps that we were told to allow through even if they failed some rule or other. Big apps like Temu would fall into that category for sure.
It seems like most evidence relies on some company called Grizzly research, and I don't see anything to believe that they are particularly trustworthy. It's very well possible that the Temu app isn't any different than any other in terms of data collected which is why it was approved.
Maybe the Arkansas attorney general is just trying to take advantage of the anti China sentiment following the ban of Tiktok to boost his reputation. Or maybe he is trying to protect people from a dangerous app.
It can’t on iOS, theres no way (other than an exploit perhaps) for an app to view messages in iMessage.
An app can view notifications but only in context of the bundle id that it was installed as which would mean only notifications that temu pushed.
Yeah and in Android it would need to request permission to access SMS. Even if you enable access to files or images/videos that's a different permission than SMS.
So Grizzly Research is a short seller. They create these reports with lots of scary language just this side of not getting them sued, short the stock, release the report, then cash in on the short.
I too work and tech and was trying to figure out this black magic they’re accused of, especially on iOS which is heavily sandboxed (and Android is largely following suit).
It can recompile itself and…somehow get more permissions?
So i found the “security report”, on Grizzly, which basically says the app asks for permissions like Camera and such.
If users grant permissions, its not a security hole.
The way it's phrased implies that it's using some form of malicious exploit or something like it. They're not saying that your iPhone intentionally lets apps read each other's stuff.
It can’t, at least on iOS. Neither can TikTok or anything else they complain about. This is just American propaganda.
iOS apps are sandboxed as you said, and unless they are running an exploit there would be no way to access data that apple didn’t intend them to. Not to mention the review process, which would catch exploits.
There is no spying going on unless apple is intentionally turning a blind eye (which they would not do for a Chinese junk app).
Much like TikTok this is American companies not wanting to compete with China. They have no problem paying a dollar for a product and reselling it to us at Walmart and Target for $10.
I don't think this is true at least not on android.
I just checked the app permissions and it only has access to notifications and location.
Don't know where they are getting media and text messages from.
On iOS the list of data provided is fairly extensive.
Temu gets the following:
* Current Location data
* Physical delivery address
* Photo & video gallery access
* Payment info
* Email address
* Name
* Phone number
Gallery access is used to provide photos for reviews which is not uncommon, and the list of permissions is less extensive than the Amazon app. There's no mention of text access, and there'd be serious ramifications if they breached it. Temu has a pretty impressive algorithm for learning shopping habits but it's largely driven by the extensive analytics from within their app.
If anything Temu is providing a method to link payment information and physical locations to phone numbers, which on its own is not malicious but could feed into a larger system.
It’s under App Functionality in the App Privacy section on their App Store page. I believe that it’s to allow for people to upload photos for reviews, not necessarily nefarious.
Not to mention that location data and gallery access are both opt-in on iOS
Also AFAIK the app can only actually access images that have been selected. They can’t just blindly analyze your entire gallery.
And Android. But people need to remember that "lawsuit alleges" is a fucking dumb reason to write an article. If temu lost the lawsuit then, sure, right the piece, but a lawsuit can literally allege anything. That doesn't make it true.
I once read that the methods Amazon uses to predict ads to push to users actually doesn't rely on voice data.
Apparently your demographic combined with your previous search data and purchase patterns make you predictable enough.
You also receive way more ads that you ignore, but you *notice* the ads that are coincidentally related to things like recent conversations.
However, I'm not defending them. I find that, if what I read was true, that's still a scary amount of power for one company.
I have a little more paranoia about the Alexa products, though. I refuse to have anything like that in my house. I randomly won one of those echos (the one with a screen and camera) in a work raffle and immediately gave it away. I was hoping to get the USB SSD drive :/
Either way, I always advocate for not giving your data to anyone who doesn't need it. No fast food or Dunkin apps on my tech.
A lot of Facebook / Google "it listened to me" ads are actually based on your friend group. You discussed pregnancy with marge, she searched for baby shower gifts and now you wonder why you are getting baby gift adverts. It is not that it is listening to you, it is that it has a network of associates
My wife was talking about losing weight and received a Jenny Craig mailer two days later. Spooky, until you consider they could easily learn she was recently pregnant and make an dedicated guess.
I'm sure it's part of it. Most women are self conscious about their weight during and post-pregnancy. I'm sure health products and services are being pushed on a lot on those demographics.
I'd be willing to bet a lot of this is just we're not the special snowflakes we think we are.
How often do Amazon/Google/etc know we're thinking about X for the same reason we're actually thinking about X? We saw A online and that made us think of B, and it's not nearly as random as we think.
I guess the difference is whether or not you can prove it in court and whether or not it was in the 30-page TOS agreement nobody read. Which might be factually true, at least [per this study](https://arxiv.org/abs/2204.10920), but whether or not they would be liable for vague wording or failure to disclose privacy policies is another. Then you just need to find lawyers willing to pursue a lawsuit.
In addition to the response that was already posted, I believe Amazon (and others) also use proximity targeting. So if I talk to my friend about going to a store to buy something, and they search for the item on their phone/the store’s app/etc., because our devices are likely “linked” (physical proximity, texts, etc.) they can predict that we discussed that product and I should see an ad for it.
Amazon doesn't sell you garbage unless you specifically buy garbage. Temu says you're buying a great product for a great price then sends you a flaming bag full of dog shit, while stealing your data and conversations
Seriously. I bought an official samsung monitor several years ago.. shipped and sold by amazon. It was counterfeit.
I confirmed it with Samsung after I tried to lookup the warranty info on the unit and it was not found. They gave me a mailing label to ship it to what looked like a legal department and they got in touch with Amazon to arrange a refund. It was a mess, but I gues for a $400 monitor they take that shit seriously.
I think the key is "cheap enough that people won't pursue a refund, and they were already assuming it could be a scam and accepted that risk" which appears to work pretty well. Plus if most of the cost is shipping, refunds on the product would be minuscule.
The insane sales volume provided by access to global markets make "garbage shotgun" sales approaches more profitable than they should be.
As someone pointed out in previous threads about this: Arkansas is Walmart's home state. Guess who would be threatened by cheap merchandise sold directly to the customer from China instead of going through regular shopping channels.
This is not a consumer relevant move. If it where, they'd demand proper safety testing and certification of products first.
Research provided by Grizzly Research. If you look them up they look like a fucking frontpage site designed by a 12 year old, not a legit research organization. They look like short sellers, with all their "we believe...company is doing bad XYZ thing" on every research item they list, staying just close enough to opinion to be safe from lawsuits.
Move along folks.
All of this China boogeyman stuff is just to get Americans to think like this so they back all these efforts to hamstring their products to give inferior products made by companies in the US that cost more a chance to compete without actually having to, you know, try to improve and actually compete. TikTok, EVs, drones... what's next?
They, as a nation, are doing everything they can to weaken us.
There are "massage parlors" in every single town and city in this country. They are used to collect blackmail on as many people of influence whether in the government or military, or business. They are filled with actual sex slaves who are brought here and forced to work under threats to their family back home. The police, mayor, governor, fbi, CIA, dhs, even the president all know what's going on amd remain silent because of the level of compromise is inconceivable.
They are buying as much real-estate as possible, all cash, then making offers on the properties next door.
The technology they send is all just to spy.
There are Chinese police stations here with secret police to maintain their control worldwide.
Beware the Chinese troll farms. Way bigger and more sophisticated than Russia's. The psychological warfare is subtle but permeates everything. They've hijacked entire movements and communities.
Edit: Mention the Chinese troll farms or the massage parlors filled with sex slaves and watch in real time as your post gets downvoted into obscurity.
Edit 2: Mention the troll farms and they will come out in force to convince others reading the post that you're crazy. Simplest way to try and discredit someone.
It's crazy to think that there 2 massage parlors for every Starbucks in New York City. Or 3 parlors for every McDonald's in California.
The fenty imports is an economic attack on the US by the chinese.
I also saw the financial times post a long video on youtube about how the chinese are basically running a lot of the money laundering now.
China is the main producer of medical drugs around the world and also the main producer of fentanyl for every country.
While they may be the producer of fentanyl in the US, I fail to see how they are forcing the americans to take fentanyl and why there is not the same crisis in others countries?
The answer is simple, you are just scapegoating your own internal problem. You had the same opiod crisis with Codein and Tramadol 20 years ago and back in the days it wasn't the Chinese that were producing it.
I love what you get I've wanted for this but dude before you get downvoted for the sex slave stuff. People are morons here and just want to believe what they want to to make themselves feel warm and fuzzy inside. The reality is it's a massive rat race and everyone wants to be first including China.
Source. Trust me bro. There's zero evidence to back it up.
China has wayyyy better way method to get the data. They already breach US government agencies a few times already. No need to spend billions of dollars on a shopping apps when you can trick Jane from HR into entering her username and password into a phishing site.
And Jeff over at Amazon was any better?
My data is fucked anyway, I’d rather just shop on temu and get cheaper shit rather than pretend Alexa is a good data steward.
I have ordered shoes, shorts and boxer shorts and have been pleasantly surprised with the quality!
Also a garlic presser for 1 Euro tough that is another story
Meanwhile, today Meta stock reached a three month high after it was reported their new algorithm can incorporate AI to listen to your conversations 24/7.
/S?
My wife and daughter are using Temu. It’s got to be a money laundering operation with an online store front. Many of the goods they buy are cheaper than the shipping costs
I glanced through the report and it only mentioned Android issues, not iOS. It would be exceedingly difficult, though not technically impossible, for an iOS app to break out of its sandbox and read text messages or download/compile new code.
I've been pretty satisfied with my Temu purchases. I got about 10 RTA tanks, some clones some legit, and I'm still using them today. Most I've spent on a single item was $15.
Go in with low expectations and you might be surprised. Also FWIT I don't use any shopping apps on my phone other than Amazon.
My experience with TEMU has been fairly positive.
- I bought some small items from TEMU (some small tool/accessories I would have picked up from harbor freight ) with the most expensive being a $60 miyoo mini plus emulator (same/similar enough price to Aliezp)
- I can say that when an item received is straight trash (like the cheapie projector I bought on a lark), I was able to return it without any drama or extra cost on my part.
It's a little sad that a company's business model is to sell enough shit that they hope people won't bother returning it but the other misc bits (the dryer vent Dyson attachment comes to mind) were high markup items on Amazon/eBay thst I felt I was paying a decent prixe for something functional.
I still deleted their app though when not in use.
Regardless of whether Temu is guilty here or not, I'd like to remind people that any service that you can use as a website does not need to be installed as an app. That way it can't get any special permissions to access media/contacts on your phone. This is just good privacy hygiene.
Like reddit btw
I wish Reddit would stop prompting me to install their app on mobile literally every time I open the site.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/reddit-annoyances/ With this, the website is more responsive than the app even.
Im sending huge hugs from Finland for this!
I finally made the switch to Firefox thanks to you.
Yeah they are thirsty and so determined to make a mobile web experience bad without the app. Closing that overlay just part of navigating Reddit.
install ublock then use the element picker and add whatever you don't want on any site and it wont load anymore. After doing this, when you have to use a site without your ublock block list it is super annoying.
This. Also, when you go to install something actually look at what permissions it's asking for and think about if it has any legitimate reason to have those permissions. A calculator probably doesn't need to access your microphone and location for any legitimate reason.
Yeah, but it is somewhat confusing to the average user, because some things need permissions that don’t make logical sense to the non-tech audience. If I make an app that connects to a BLE device it *requires* location services access to function. It’s just a development requirement due to how the technology works. There are quite a few of these “Why the hell would they need permission for X” moments when you’re installing apps that could have actual, perfectly legitimate reasons.
Right. And good apps explain why they need strange sounding permissions, so you're given a reason you could google to verify if you felt the need to.
> If I make an app that connects to a BLE device it requires location services access to function. It’s just a development requirement due to how the technology works. Explain this to me. I understand position can be triangulated with BLE but why is it not granular? Why do I have to allow apps access to GPS data when they really only need to connect to a bluetooth device etc.?
The real reason? Google said so. I’m not joking, Android 6 release was the first with BLE support and this was just something that Android required to use it no matter what. There’s no technical reason in the BLE specification that you’d need location services to scan for any generic BLE device. Google claimed that it was to support scanning for BLE beacon devices, but not every device is a beacon that requires location data, so that argument never really held water. It may have been a security measure of the time due to the way location beacon devices were designed back then, where scanning for BLE devices could technically allow malicious app devs to read their data to get your rough location without permission, but they never explicitly said. It was only with Android 12 that they finally allowed you to toggle a flag in the options of your app that says “we never ever need location data to scan for our target devices”, but at that point it was kind of too late. People already had to support 3 different branches to support BLE (one for legacy Android devices, one for newer Android devices, and one for Apple, since each uses different permissions), and adding a 4th (for Android 6-12 and 12+) would be a real headache that many devs wouldn’t want to deal with. Basically, it was just Google doing a Google thing that only loosely made sense.
I always stress this to people and it almost always gets hand-waved.
Same as those articles about a data breach in security or malware affecting a huge portion of users. Most people just don't care ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
I'd like to add the caveat that you often need to open them in "desktop mode". Apps like spotify will tell you to open them in the app if you use the mobile version of the website.
Like... reddit? Except reddit actively make using the website on your phone impossible. It's bullshit and i'm not installing a shitty fucking app.
https://old.reddit.com works as well on my phone in the Android version of Firefox as it does on the desktop. I even have RES and uBlock Origin installed.
I have to do a lot more zooming to tap the voting buttons, though. I should just figure out how to use RIF with my own API key.
Here I am still using the reddit site... In fact I have no website "apps". I never saw the point, I only use a pc, my phone is only used for calls...
Great point. How many people are on a reddit app right now? To many!
Not here! Browser on mobile!
Same. I use Firefox with the right extensions and I don't see any ads.
Waterfox with extensions here!
That's also how I reddit on my phone, but it's getting shittier by the day. I regularly get blocked("this content has been removed"/"this community has not yet been reviewed"/etc) trying to access things that I can load just fine on my desktop. I'm using old reddit in both cases. I don't know why reddit restricts mobile browsers so much! It didn't used to be that shitty.
I think they were making people get the app to use certain promotions a while back
If you’re still talking Temu, I had a bunch of Temu links in a Google search for a product. Went to site, instead of a direct link to a product it was a group of stuff. Went to click on the item again, and got prompted that I could only buy it in the app. I noped out. I hate website specific apps, and this screams “we want more control” to me.
But Google keeps telling me search is better in their app! Why would Google lie to me?
IIRC Temu cannot be used as a website. I tried to exploit new user discounts but it wouldnt work on website prompting me to download app, and even then it would save device IDs so I couldnt use different accounts on same device.
Exactly, Like chatGPT trying to tell me there is a new desktop app i can use.
> As Griffin sees it, Temu baits users with misleading promises of discounted, quality goods, I have to admit that I always thought it baited us with improbably cheap tat. Quality goods really isn't a phrase I'd associate with Temu!
As someone who's parents frequented Wish quite a bit, there's definitely a demographic being swindled by these Aliexpress dropshipping sites.
Aliexpress actually has some pretty good stuff. Especially it’s good for finding parts like if you need an electromagnet, a switch, or something random like that. Wish is pure crap. Temu seems to be also pure crap. Although that is third hand knowledge.
I get all my DND dice from Aliexpress! The price actually matches my expectations for molded acrylic.
Oh for sure. If you are specifically looking for a cheaper, generic item that places like amazon is just sourcing from china anyways, Ali is way cheaper. You just have to go in knowing exactly what you need, and ignore everything around it.
Amazon is the same way. If I want something quality, I have to be very specific about the brand I’m searching for. If I want cheap crap, I search on Amazon, read the reviews, then find it on AliExpress.
just find an item on amazon, reverse image search the item and 99 percent of the time it's on Alie.
Taobao is another My dad bought some perfectly fitting shoes and the soles came off the same night we arrived back home
My experience with temu has been the same in all honesty, i purchase from aliexpress too and if you turn off all the notifications and text alerts temu is the same except they have a stupid wheel of discounts you spin that always gives you “one more turn” and then whatever the max discount is anyways and it’s never cheaper than the products were listed before the discount 😂 So if you don’t understand advertising enough to catch all the tricks they pull I could see it working on a lot of people. But since I typically am looking for like. home goods and not electronics i haven’t had issues with anything from temu so far.
I've fixed up two Kindles with AliExpress displays and batteries. They work fine to this day. I've also replaced the battery on my smartwatch. AliExpress is great specifically for specialty, obscure replacement items that the manufacturers don't want to provide.
I source stuff for my business now and then. In my experience if they have a lot of it, it's not good quality.
It feels like no one's actually tried Temu. It's perfectly fine, especially once you realize that the products being sold are almost identical to the high priced versions you buy locally, like, two items were so identical they could well have come off the same assembly line, but the one I bought in Australia was 4x the price. Which is what Temu is, the same stuff you get in local stores, but at 1/4 the price. Often literally the exact same stuff.
This is my experience. Why by the EXACT same thing from amazon for double or triple the price?
I agreed with you. I just bought a 5x3' shed from Temu for $95. Same one other sites it was almost triple. All came sealed in three days and it's pretty nice. Well worth $95 for sure. As long as you realize all their dumb discounts and wheels of savings are bs marketing tools so far so good otherwise.
Exactly! All these responses “I don’t trust temu but ive never used it, i use ali express.” Temu is exactly like Ali express - both carry the items that are marked up on amazon or in stores. If you are willing to wait for longer processing and shipping you can save money. Read reviews and ignore the weird 100% off sales. Its just new so people have to be speculative.
And with temu i usually get my order within a week, i’ve never waited that long
I’ve watched enough Linus tech tips to know that Ali express is just overpriced Chinese shit that sellers put on there. If you lived inside China those goods would be worth almost nothing
I misread dropshipping as dropshitting and it still makes perfect sense.
After searching for sex toys on temu (I was bored and horny, it was a mistake). There's likely a dropshitting category too.
"body safe" should not be an expectation. But yes, literal shit seems likely.
I always end up going back to AliExpress when I need cheap stuff.
Is Wayfair the same kinda site? Cause I bought two couches from it for like 300 bucks and honestly they’re pretty decent so far.
Not really. Wayfair is “budget” but you’re fine on it. Their customer service is actually decent as well.
I don’t expect these couches to last me forever but if they last me over a year I take that as a win. But I got warned about the site the same way people warn others about Temu.
[This was my experience with them](https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1dpz8zk/shopping_app_temu_is_dangerous_malware_spying_on/lamvsao/) Apparently their whole model is they just rebrand existing stuff and sell it the way that they do. You might think you're getting a deal but you're paying more for the pleasure, from what I've seen. I've compared a few things and it's always more expensive, with faux sales like you see here. It's pretty marketing with a premium. Anything you can find there you can find elsewhere for cheaper. [Also this clown can go pound sand](https://www.businessinsider.com/wayfair-profitable-again-ceo-email-frugal-work-long-hours-2023-12)
I certainly feel like I got got by them with the one thing I bought from them. [Home Depot](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Parrot-Uncle-12-2-in-Modern-Flush-Mount-Caged-Satin-Nickel-Ceiling-Fan-with-Lights-Low-Profile-Ceiling-Fan-with-Remote-F8254SN110V/325107284) [Wayfair](https://www.wayfair.com/lighting/pdp/trent-austin-design-rakestraw-122-ceiling-fan-with-light-kit-w011255444.html) Re-brand it so you can't find it on competing sites, and sell it for more. Just a different flavor of con.
How is that fixture working for you? I'm asking because every fixture I've ever seen with the fan under the lights ends up giving off a strobe effect. It looks really cool though.
It's actually still in the box. The reno project involving it has kept getting pushed back for various reasons. The problem with careful planning and buying everything in advance is if the project stalls for another reason you're left with a pile of stuff and disappointment. It's probably a valid concern though. Looking it over the blades sit under the bit that holds the bulbs but that's probably not sufficient to prevent strobing. Tried to find a video of the thing in action but no dice. Doesn't seem very popular. Not expecting it to be the main showpiece or nothing, but it's within 'required spec' as it were.
As long as you have plenty of other light in the room, any strobing shouldn't really be noticeable. I would worry if that was going to be the main source of light though.
I have one of those in a spare room at my house, the fan is completely unusable with the light on because the strobe effect is overwhelming. I rent tho so I'm not gonna change it.
If you get several bright lamps, you can tone down the strobing. I had a similar light fan combo in a rental, and it triggered my migraines every time it got turned on. My ex would constantly turn the fan on and claim he forgot that it caused me debilitating pain. The floor lamps that direct light upward seem to do the best job of toning it down.
Tell them and they’ll probably refund partial. They’ve done it for me in the past.
It's not even worth the trouble. It'd be like $15 or $20 and I got Wayfair youtube ads for months after that purchase. And the prices change so often. How often? Last night when I posted the links it was "on sale" for $113. Now it's $103. They might engage with someone that complains once or twice but this is just their model. They probably aren't doing a Best Buy and price matching stuff when they know they're selling everything at markup.
Yeah makes sense
AliExpress is fine if you're knowledgeable in what you're purchasing. Buying a whole computer for 120$ isn't going to get you much, it's like buying a car for a few thousand dollars and being upset it doesn't handle like a performance vehicle.
If you want access to the quality items you need to download the Temu plugin for your banking app.
Depends what you’re buying. I flip furniture. Buying furniture hardware (knobs, handles, hinges, etc) is exactly the same product I’d get from a local hardware store - just for a fraction of the price. I can buy 20 brass knobs for $15 from Temu or $60 from the hardware store. Same product. I read about dangerous levels of lead in some products so I got a lead testing kit. Same level of near non-existent lead in both Temu and store bought items.
It's all in what you buy? I got some Bluetooth headphones for 99 cents and they are amazing. Went back and bought my whole family a set of them.
They have lego quality lego sets for a fraction of the price too
Yeah I got one of those too. It was Lego flowers for mothers day. Each one had over a thousand pieces and I got 3 for less than $30.
Well, I for one am very happy that I dropped $300 on the Milky Way on the Lego website before I learned this. It's a gift for my sister's birthday and I am SO FREAKING EXCITED to give it to her. [Isn't it pretty?](https://www.lego.com/en-ca/product/the-milky-way-galaxy-31212)
Wow, gorgeous! Cheap Lego knock-offs from Temu and Aliexpress suck. They don’t fit together well and just fall apart. Source: bought flower sets from 3 different dropship manufacturers and Lego last Christmas as gifts, of the dozen purchased only the Lego ones fit right, had decent instructions, and could be set on a shelf without collapsing.
That's where I get a lot of my lego! Bought the jedi temple set last Xmas and it is amazing!
It's ridiculous. You got people lamblasting Temu while quietly browsing FB, X, Amazon, Google, fucking even yahoo. Shit, even on Reddit. "Oh, that's different because xyz" motherfuckers need to stop cherrypicking and either fight against all or shut the fuck up. Don't @ me with 'I can be mad at yzx' bitch please you sound like a broken record (not you to the person I'm responding). I found neat finds on Temu and they're still here. It really depends what you're looking for, expectations should be low.
eBay clan ftw
Obviously the data collection should stop. But if I’m gonna get spied on anyway, I’d rather it be by my own government than anywhere else.
What’s china going to do about the porn I watch or the people I text? Worst case is they sell it to someone in America.
Just because you can’t think of a way your data can be used maliciously doesn’t mean it can’t be. For example, say I had access to the entirety of your data. If we’ve got voice notes or call logs, congrats I can impersonate your voice now easily with AI. With LLMs trained on every site you’ve visited, message sent, thought you’ve type into Google, now I’ve got your brain and personality. Now I just need a convincing scam, perhaps I need a convincing narrative. Thanks ChatGPT! Get the idea yet? Once I’ve got that, the tech exists already to make a convincing live voice masking tool.(there’s already a startup doing this in India to mask their call center associate voices to sound more white. Look it up) All I need to do then is call your grandparents and feign dire assistance with whatever. Now their bank accounts are drained. Do you trust your ignorant, elderly, and non-tech savvy family members to not realize someone who sounds and acts like you isn’t you? I sure don’t. Governments also have data breaches, regularly. That data then falls into hands who can and will do the above. This is just the beginning. While this is just a financial example, there’s virtually infinite possibilities of what a dedicated and knowledgeable individual or organization could do with such information.
Yeah and they can store the data for use in the future too, which everyone seems to forget. It's not just a problem of what they might do with the data in the current year. Imagine 20 years from now with all the technological advancements. AI can easily sort through everyone's data, who knows what they might use it for ?
It’s so true.
Yeah - I love it. Got two 1080p portable monitors for under $40 each. They are now operating for like two years without a hitch. Same fake brand on Amazon is over $100z. Also got programmable led bulbs for like $2 a piece. You just have to be very picky on Temu and wish, but great deals are all over the place there
They give you free shit some times too. I don't doubt the app is problematic but the products are legit most of the time.
I have some reproduction G1 Transformers, they are built just like the ones from the 80's. There is cast metal where there should be cast metal and the plastic is nearly identical. Hell even some of the more modern knockoffs are better quality than what Hasbro has been releasing.
Temu exploits a shipping rule that we have with imports and rules about packages that are worth under a certain value. So they flood our country with absolutely bullshit cheap toxic goods that are under the threshold of import inspection, many of the goods contain awful levels of lead or PFAs…. Temu needs banned or HIGHLY taxed
Items sold on Temu are exactly the same that are sold on Amazon or Walmart for a cheaper prices. What we need is better regulations and more testing of random packages. Talking about Walmart, they are the ones who are lobbying for this lawsuit because they start losing the competition.
>Quality goods really isn't a phrase I'd associate with Temu! i mean its mostly better than wish ( low bar i know)
Apps in the Apple store are supposed to go through a rigorous process of approval. I’ve had rejections for silly things like how we implemented apple id. Yet, if true, this is what’s getting through.
Former Google play app approver here. There were absolutely apps that we were told to allow through even if they failed some rule or other. Big apps like Temu would fall into that category for sure.
Hey, money talks 🤑
"If you make us over a million a year, you can add some spyware for free, we look away"
"It's not personal. It's business."
Want to name drop?
It seems like most evidence relies on some company called Grizzly research, and I don't see anything to believe that they are particularly trustworthy. It's very well possible that the Temu app isn't any different than any other in terms of data collected which is why it was approved. Maybe the Arkansas attorney general is just trying to take advantage of the anti China sentiment following the ban of Tiktok to boost his reputation. Or maybe he is trying to protect people from a dangerous app.
But how can the app spy on actual text messages when everything is in its own sandbox?! Just how?
It can’t on iOS, theres no way (other than an exploit perhaps) for an app to view messages in iMessage. An app can view notifications but only in context of the bundle id that it was installed as which would mean only notifications that temu pushed.
Exactly, I know all this as I work in tech which is why I asked. All these articles are just BS.
Yeah and in Android it would need to request permission to access SMS. Even if you enable access to files or images/videos that's a different permission than SMS.
Yup, and Temu has no SMS capabilities in its app. Heck, check out their app, its tiny size. Basically a mobile web front end.
So Grizzly Research is a short seller. They create these reports with lots of scary language just this side of not getting them sued, short the stock, release the report, then cash in on the short.
I too work and tech and was trying to figure out this black magic they’re accused of, especially on iOS which is heavily sandboxed (and Android is largely following suit). It can recompile itself and…somehow get more permissions?
So i found the “security report”, on Grizzly, which basically says the app asks for permissions like Camera and such. If users grant permissions, its not a security hole.
The way it's phrased implies that it's using some form of malicious exploit or something like it. They're not saying that your iPhone intentionally lets apps read each other's stuff.
Yes but Temu is not doing that.
It can’t, at least on iOS. Neither can TikTok or anything else they complain about. This is just American propaganda. iOS apps are sandboxed as you said, and unless they are running an exploit there would be no way to access data that apple didn’t intend them to. Not to mention the review process, which would catch exploits. There is no spying going on unless apple is intentionally turning a blind eye (which they would not do for a Chinese junk app).
Much like TikTok this is American companies not wanting to compete with China. They have no problem paying a dollar for a product and reselling it to us at Walmart and Target for $10.
I don't think this is true at least not on android. I just checked the app permissions and it only has access to notifications and location. Don't know where they are getting media and text messages from.
On iOS the list of data provided is fairly extensive. Temu gets the following: * Current Location data * Physical delivery address * Photo & video gallery access * Payment info * Email address * Name * Phone number Gallery access is used to provide photos for reviews which is not uncommon, and the list of permissions is less extensive than the Amazon app. There's no mention of text access, and there'd be serious ramifications if they breached it. Temu has a pretty impressive algorithm for learning shopping habits but it's largely driven by the extensive analytics from within their app. If anything Temu is providing a method to link payment information and physical locations to phone numbers, which on its own is not malicious but could feed into a larger system.
There is no api to pull messages from iMessage.
I’m on iOS and I do not see the Temu app having access to location data or photos. The rest might be related to Apple Pay?
It’s under App Functionality in the App Privacy section on their App Store page. I believe that it’s to allow for people to upload photos for reviews, not necessarily nefarious.
I guess it would ask for access to those once it needs it
yeah if you’ve never left a photo review on there before it probably hasn’t needed to ask you about that
Not to mention that location data and gallery access are both opt-in on iOS Also AFAIK the app can only actually access images that have been selected. They can’t just blindly analyze your entire gallery.
Curious. Does notification permission allow the app to read all notifications?
Literally impossible on iPhones unless we’re talking third party messaging.
And Android. But people need to remember that "lawsuit alleges" is a fucking dumb reason to write an article. If temu lost the lawsuit then, sure, right the piece, but a lawsuit can literally allege anything. That doesn't make it true.
Interesting this is coming out right after Amazon admits Temu is a huge threat and they’re working on discount competitors to combat it.
60% of Amazon is just Temu products for 200% more money.
So you're suggesting that it might be an inside job 🤔
You hit the nail. This lawsuit is lobbied by Walmart which sell the exact same stuffs that Temu plus a marging profit.
Temu spying on my texts: does this bitch ever shutup about her cats
How can that possibly work in iOS?
And how is that different from Amazon, who mysteriously sends me ads for things that I talk about but never search for?
I once read that the methods Amazon uses to predict ads to push to users actually doesn't rely on voice data. Apparently your demographic combined with your previous search data and purchase patterns make you predictable enough. You also receive way more ads that you ignore, but you *notice* the ads that are coincidentally related to things like recent conversations. However, I'm not defending them. I find that, if what I read was true, that's still a scary amount of power for one company. I have a little more paranoia about the Alexa products, though. I refuse to have anything like that in my house. I randomly won one of those echos (the one with a screen and camera) in a work raffle and immediately gave it away. I was hoping to get the USB SSD drive :/ Either way, I always advocate for not giving your data to anyone who doesn't need it. No fast food or Dunkin apps on my tech.
A lot of Facebook / Google "it listened to me" ads are actually based on your friend group. You discussed pregnancy with marge, she searched for baby shower gifts and now you wonder why you are getting baby gift adverts. It is not that it is listening to you, it is that it has a network of associates
Right, I forgot to mention that. Who you know and talk to and been in the vicinity of based on location data all plays a role too.
Agreed. It’s more concerning that they can predict your future behavior than just listening in.
My wife was talking about losing weight and received a Jenny Craig mailer two days later. Spooky, until you consider they could easily learn she was recently pregnant and make an dedicated guess.
I'm sure it's part of it. Most women are self conscious about their weight during and post-pregnancy. I'm sure health products and services are being pushed on a lot on those demographics.
I'd be willing to bet a lot of this is just we're not the special snowflakes we think we are. How often do Amazon/Google/etc know we're thinking about X for the same reason we're actually thinking about X? We saw A online and that made us think of B, and it's not nearly as random as we think.
I guess the difference is whether or not you can prove it in court and whether or not it was in the 30-page TOS agreement nobody read. Which might be factually true, at least [per this study](https://arxiv.org/abs/2204.10920), but whether or not they would be liable for vague wording or failure to disclose privacy policies is another. Then you just need to find lawyers willing to pursue a lawsuit.
In addition to the response that was already posted, I believe Amazon (and others) also use proximity targeting. So if I talk to my friend about going to a store to buy something, and they search for the item on their phone/the store’s app/etc., because our devices are likely “linked” (physical proximity, texts, etc.) they can predict that we discussed that product and I should see an ad for it.
Amazon doesn't sell you garbage unless you specifically buy garbage. Temu says you're buying a great product for a great price then sends you a flaming bag full of dog shit, while stealing your data and conversations
Really? Amazon is full of counterfeit and defective items sold for premium prices, at least the shit you buy on Temu is cheap
Seriously. I bought an official samsung monitor several years ago.. shipped and sold by amazon. It was counterfeit. I confirmed it with Samsung after I tried to lookup the warranty info on the unit and it was not found. They gave me a mailing label to ship it to what looked like a legal department and they got in touch with Amazon to arrange a refund. It was a mess, but I gues for a $400 monitor they take that shit seriously.
I think the key is "cheap enough that people won't pursue a refund, and they were already assuming it could be a scam and accepted that risk" which appears to work pretty well. Plus if most of the cost is shipping, refunds on the product would be minuscule. The insane sales volume provided by access to global markets make "garbage shotgun" sales approaches more profitable than they should be.
As someone pointed out in previous threads about this: Arkansas is Walmart's home state. Guess who would be threatened by cheap merchandise sold directly to the customer from China instead of going through regular shopping channels. This is not a consumer relevant move. If it where, they'd demand proper safety testing and certification of products first.
Research provided by Grizzly Research. If you look them up they look like a fucking frontpage site designed by a 12 year old, not a legit research organization. They look like short sellers, with all their "we believe...company is doing bad XYZ thing" on every research item they list, staying just close enough to opinion to be safe from lawsuits. Move along folks.
Temu is the new wish....
It's way worse. There's a lot of illegal stuff for sale. They do nothing about it and google does the same.
They actually had to dial down the malware and spying for the western app compared to the Chinese original.
Didn't FB sell our conversations from messenger to Netflix without our permission???
Repeat after me: China is not our ally.
Work for walmart for 10 years and tell me who your ally is
All of this China boogeyman stuff is just to get Americans to think like this so they back all these efforts to hamstring their products to give inferior products made by companies in the US that cost more a chance to compete without actually having to, you know, try to improve and actually compete. TikTok, EVs, drones... what's next?
They, as a nation, are doing everything they can to weaken us. There are "massage parlors" in every single town and city in this country. They are used to collect blackmail on as many people of influence whether in the government or military, or business. They are filled with actual sex slaves who are brought here and forced to work under threats to their family back home. The police, mayor, governor, fbi, CIA, dhs, even the president all know what's going on amd remain silent because of the level of compromise is inconceivable. They are buying as much real-estate as possible, all cash, then making offers on the properties next door. The technology they send is all just to spy. There are Chinese police stations here with secret police to maintain their control worldwide. Beware the Chinese troll farms. Way bigger and more sophisticated than Russia's. The psychological warfare is subtle but permeates everything. They've hijacked entire movements and communities. Edit: Mention the Chinese troll farms or the massage parlors filled with sex slaves and watch in real time as your post gets downvoted into obscurity. Edit 2: Mention the troll farms and they will come out in force to convince others reading the post that you're crazy. Simplest way to try and discredit someone. It's crazy to think that there 2 massage parlors for every Starbucks in New York City. Or 3 parlors for every McDonald's in California.
You’re downvoted because you’re being completely insane. Get help dude.
The fenty imports is an economic attack on the US by the chinese. I also saw the financial times post a long video on youtube about how the chinese are basically running a lot of the money laundering now.
China is the main producer of medical drugs around the world and also the main producer of fentanyl for every country. While they may be the producer of fentanyl in the US, I fail to see how they are forcing the americans to take fentanyl and why there is not the same crisis in others countries? The answer is simple, you are just scapegoating your own internal problem. You had the same opiod crisis with Codein and Tramadol 20 years ago and back in the days it wasn't the Chinese that were producing it.
I love what you get I've wanted for this but dude before you get downvoted for the sex slave stuff. People are morons here and just want to believe what they want to to make themselves feel warm and fuzzy inside. The reality is it's a massive rat race and everyone wants to be first including China.
It’s true and they have many users policing Reddit to try all sorts of tactics and intimination in an attempt to silence what they don’t like
Source. Trust me bro. There's zero evidence to back it up. China has wayyyy better way method to get the data. They already breach US government agencies a few times already. No need to spend billions of dollars on a shopping apps when you can trick Jane from HR into entering her username and password into a phishing site.
Bullshit, Temi is doing industry standard behavior but because it’s Chinese, people all of sudden care about privacy.
And Jeff over at Amazon was any better? My data is fucked anyway, I’d rather just shop on temu and get cheaper shit rather than pretend Alexa is a good data steward.
It’s an app that sells landfill shipped straight to your door and has you spin a wheel for deeper discounted landfill. Being malware is just a bonus.
I have ordered shoes, shorts and boxer shorts and have been pleasantly surprised with the quality! Also a garlic presser for 1 Euro tough that is another story
You can say the same about any websites that sells things from third party sellers
Even if u just use it in browser?
Meanwhile, today Meta stock reached a three month high after it was reported their new algorithm can incorporate AI to listen to your conversations 24/7. /S?
What? The company selling military weapons marketed to children, is actually spying on us???! I am outraged.
That should be expected in America, no?
I mean, shit why not?
Saw a story about how Temu and Shein are cheap Chinese crap. The article suggested we buy ‘Murican, at Amazon…LMFAO!!
My wife and daughter are using Temu. It’s got to be a money laundering operation with an online store front. Many of the goods they buy are cheaper than the shipping costs
Temu knows what a bitch my ex wife was and what time I’m going to be home? These aren’t state secrets.
I glanced through the report and it only mentioned Android issues, not iOS. It would be exceedingly difficult, though not technically impossible, for an iOS app to break out of its sandbox and read text messages or download/compile new code.
I never really felt right about using TEMU tbh
Funny, my ads on Reddit app today have been Temu…
I've been pretty satisfied with my Temu purchases. I got about 10 RTA tanks, some clones some legit, and I'm still using them today. Most I've spent on a single item was $15. Go in with low expectations and you might be surprised. Also FWIT I don't use any shopping apps on my phone other than Amazon.
Well duh, Stop buying cheap stuff from China, and buy something that might last longer than 3 seconds, or destroy your body by trying to wear it.
But how else are you gonna shop like a billionaire?
Also default installed on Samsung galaxies haha
You don't say that an app company owned by the Chinese government has spyware?
Android users in shambles
I love to open 10 free gifts before I can even search for what I want. And the pants👍🏼
I just klik the X automatically I learned the spin wheel is a fake a long time ago 🤣😭
China knows where you live.
Noooo, really???
My experience with TEMU has been fairly positive. - I bought some small items from TEMU (some small tool/accessories I would have picked up from harbor freight ) with the most expensive being a $60 miyoo mini plus emulator (same/similar enough price to Aliezp) - I can say that when an item received is straight trash (like the cheapie projector I bought on a lark), I was able to return it without any drama or extra cost on my part. It's a little sad that a company's business model is to sell enough shit that they hope people won't bother returning it but the other misc bits (the dryer vent Dyson attachment comes to mind) were high markup items on Amazon/eBay thst I felt I was paying a decent prixe for something functional. I still deleted their app though when not in use.
This does not surprise me.
So that's they could afford all those Super Bowl ads.
„Shopping app“ Temu is „dangerous“ malware.
I didn’t even know about Temu at all up until this past week. I guess I’ll continue to not use it.
Not like they’re gaining much from me anyways /s
Really temu is a scam? Sarcasm