The Temu & TikTok apps: Twin Ticking Time Bombs
China is laughing at us while playing us for suckers
On last Saturday’s season 49 finale of “Saturday Night Live,” they did a brutally funny parody ad for the Chinese-based shopping sites Temu and Shein, which both feature too-good-to-be-true prices. The off-screen narrator kept reassuring customers that there was no reason to be concerned about the serious issues that have plagued these companies, like shoddy workmanship, harmful materials and forced child labor. The ad saved the ultimate zinger for the end, asking, “Now that you know all this, will you still keep shopping with us?” You can probably figure out what the answer was.
You can see the SNL parody below:
As spot-on as that segment was, it did not mention an even bigger problem with these sites: their smartphone apps.
Bad app! Bad app!
The TikTok app has been getting a lot of airtime and column inches lately for how much info it collects from its users, who are mostly unaware of how extensive and invasive this data collection is. The problem is so bad that the United States government has issued an ultimatum that China must divest itself from the app by selling it; if not, it will be banned.
I’m genuinely shocked by how many people I know who are upset by this instead of being far more upset with what TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, have been doing with their data. Or not even wondering just how bad the situation must be for the government to take this kind of action. I mean, come on—we all know how bad something has to be in order for the federal government to take any kind of action!
As a virtual front for the Chinese government, TikTok has not just been betraying its users; it has also been using their information to spread misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war and foster anti-semitism, not just in America but around the world. That’s why other countries have already banned the app; we are late to the party. I don’t have the room to go into all the terrible things TikTok (and ByteDance) have been doing and why the government has taken this extraordinary action. Thankfully, several other respectable publications have, including the New York Times, which ran a great article on the subject just a couple of weeks ago, which you can read here.
Shop Till Your Phone Drops
I didn’t think there could be a worse app than TikTok, but SNL reminded me that there is one: Temu. Like TikTok, Temu is a Chinese company ruthlessly data-mining its customers. However, their app goes a step further by invading other apps on your phone (both iPhone and Android) to get even more data. Temu does this so they can track every move you make (as Sting sang) across the Internet.
But wait, there’s more — don’t order yet! The Temu app gathers everything about you, starting with your name, address, phone number and birthday. It gains access to your photos and social media profiles, and knows where you are at all times via GPS. It even latches on to your browsing history. It then gains access to third-party sources, including Temu sellers, public records, data brokers, credit bureaus, and marketing partners.
While that is a crap-ton of data, it is nothing compared to its sister app, Pinduoduo, which is owned by the same company. Kim Komando, one of America’s most respected and venerable tech columnists and pundits, has a damning (and easy-to-read) article on Temu and Pinduoduo, which you can read here.
In the article, he says, “Cybersecurity researchers found (the Pinduoduo app) wasn’t just tracking device info and activity: malicious code allowed it to bypass cellphone security settings to spy on other apps, read notifications and messages, and even change settings. Pinduoduo gains full access to all your contacts, calendars, and photo albums, plus all your social media accounts, chats, and texts—literally everything on your phone.” He recommends that if you have this app installed, deleting it isn’t enough; you need to then do a hard reset of your phone. Ouch!
Where are the gatekeepers?
At this point, you may ask, “If these apps are so bad, why are they allowed on the Apple and Google Play stores? Isn’t Apple notorious for protecting user privacy? How could they let this happen?” Good questions, indeed… and the answers are more complicated than I would like.
The short and not-so-sweet answer is that American tech companies sell their products globally, including to customers in China. Apple, in particular, has had to walk a tightrope when it comes to China, as its iPhones compete directly with Huawei devices there. Just today, Apple slashed iPhone prices in China to compete with Huawei.
Given that, Apple sometimes has to accede to Chinese demands. For example, the Apple TV + show “The Problem With Jon Stewart” was abruptly canceled right before its third season started, primarily because Stewart wanted to do an episode about the same subject as this column. Pixar also has had to alter some of its content that China found objectionable.
Now factor in the chips that power all of Apple’s iPhones come from just one company: TSMC in Taiwan… a country China still refuses to acknowledge as an independent entity.
Apple’s COO Jeff Williams just visited the TSMC facility in person, which is unprecedented. He achieved his goal of locking in all of TSMC’s brand-new 2nm process chips for use in the next iPhone; they are even more power-efficient and faster than anything previously available.
Given these geopolitical factors, it’s no wonder that Apple and Google still allow the Temu and TikTok apps on their respective App Stores… for now, anyway.
However, as customers and consumers, we are not bound by these geopolitical forces. We are free to choose whether or not to use an app or service. I have been armed with this knowledge for some time now and have chosen not to use either of these apps or their associated websites. Ellen Snortland, my wife and decades-long human rights advocate, agrees with me. (Whew!) Now it’s up to you.
Bombs away!
If you choose to cut ties with TikTok and Temu, you need to delete their apps from your devices and also delete the accounts themselves. Instructions on how to delete your TikTok account can be found here. And Temu’s instructions are here.
That’s a wrap!
Am I the World’s Biggest Party Pooper? Maybe. However, I believe knowledge is power, and my goal here is not to shame anyone for whatever choice they make. Instead, I want them to make informed choices. I think the SNL ad was trying to do the same thing. Caveat Emptor!
Your friendly neighborhood Tech Daddy
Tech Daddy Substack Founding Members
Leigh Adams Edgar Johnson