The House Intelligence Committee is seeking explanations from the FBI and the Securities and Exchange Commission about the Chinese Communist Party-linked e-commerce company Temu and its parent company Pinduoduo (PDD) amid concerns about misuse of U.S. data.
Fox News Digital obtained the letter, led by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-Ohio) and Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), and addressed to FBI Director Christopher Wray and SEC Chairman Gary Gensler.
With regard to Temu and PDD, the lawmakers noted that PDD is listed on the NASDAQ and “is subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.”
“From the U.S. Senate to the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, to state attorneys general, and countless other groups have previously sounded the alarm about Tem and PDD's practices, including trade, slave labor, and national security concerns,” they wrote.
In 2023, Google suspended the PDD app, claiming that it had “exploited a zero-day vulnerability that allowed it to secretly take control of millions of end-user devices, steal personal data, and install malicious apps.”
The lawmakers emphasized that they are “concerned about protecting Americans' data.”
“As Congress takes action against TikTok, we must understand the relationship between the Chinese Communist Party, China's national security laws, and Americans' data,” they wrote. “We are concerned about new attempts by the Chinese Communist Party to exploit American democracy, free market principles, and personal and economic data.”
The lawmakers are now calling on the FBI and SEC to jointly report on whether the FBI provided any information to the SEC about issues related to Tem and PDD.
The lawmakers also asked whether there are laws or policies that prevent information sharing between the intelligence agencies and the SEC.
The letter was signed by every Republican on the House Intelligence Committee.
“Temu, its parent company PInduoduo, and its ties to the Chinese Communist Party's national security legislation raise serious concerns that the Chinese Communist Party is reaching beyond TikTok with new efforts to misuse Americans' data and undermine our democracy,” LaHood told Fox News Digital.
LaHood said Tem is “abusing our trade laws” and warned that the company's Chinese ownership “increases risks to American consumers and could result in the transfer of personal and sensitive data to foreign adversaries.”
“Given the widespread and growing public safety concerns regarding Nasdaq-listed Tem, it is critical that our federal partners at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) report to the Intelligence Committees. Parliament is certain “We need to properly monitor the growing threat from the Chinese Communist Party,” Lahoud said.
The call for clarification comes amid concerns from state officials across the country who allege the “disturbing” collection of U.S. consumer data and illegal forced labor practices.
Last year, the House Intelligence Committee uncovered “alarming information that Tem is not complying with U.S. laws banning the use of forced labor by Uighurs.”
TEM acknowledged at the time that it had no policy to ban the sale of products from the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, where the Chinese Communist Party continues to perpetrate genocide against Uighurs.
Temu also said it was not subject to the Uighur Forced Labor Prevention Law.
Tem did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
