Temu's U.S. app is sold by Whaleco Inc. In September 2025 that company agreed to pay a $2 million civil penalty to settle a Justice Department case over how it disclosed third-party sellers.
Who publishes the app
On Apple's U.S. App Store, the seller is Whaleco Inc. and the developer name shown is Temu. As of Nov 8, 2026, Apple shows 4.7 stars (2.3M ratings). Google Play lists the developer as Temu, 1B+ downloads and 4.5 stars (13M reviews), and ranks it #3 in top free shopping.
The federal case
On September 8, 2025, the DOJ announced that, together with the FTC, a federal court had entered a stipulated order resolving a case against Whaleco Inc.
The government's complaint, filed in the District of Massachusetts, was about the INFORM Consumers Act. That law requires online marketplaces to disclose identifying information about high-volume third-party sellers and to offer ways to report suspicious activity. The DOJ release says the government alleged Temu didn't sufficiently disclose some of that seller information, such as addresses, and didn't consistently provide the required reporting mechanisms.
These were allegations; Temu settled rather than going to trial. The order also requires Temu to put measures in place for future compliance; the release doesn't spell out what they are.
What the app says it collects
Apple shows these labels as the developer's own disclosure.
On the App Store, "Data Linked to You" lists purchases, financial info, location, contact info, user content, search history, identifiers, usage data and diagnostics. Apple's breakdown by purpose lists precise and coarse location, physical address, name, email, phone number, payment info, and photos or videos among the data used for app functionality. Email, phone number, user ID and product interaction are also listed under the developer's advertising or marketing.
On Google Play, the Data safety section says the app may share "device or other IDs" with third parties, and may collect location, personal info and five other categories. It says data is encrypted in transit, that you can request deletion, and that it has an independent security review.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Justice — Temu Agrees to $2M Civil Penalty and Injunction for Alleged Violations of the INFORM Consumers Act (checked Nov 8, 2026)
- Apple App Store (U.S.) — Temu: Shop Like a Billionaire (checked Nov 8, 2026)
- Google Play (U.S.) — Temu: Shop Like a Billionaire (checked Nov 8, 2026)