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Temu has updated the terms and conditions for its “free cash giveaway” that’s been trending on the internet this week.
Earlier this week it seemed social media was suddenly flooded with people cashing out £50 without having to do anything. The online shopping site caused a bit of a frenzy before people started realizing the “dark truth” behind it.
Temu is often known for selling deeply discounted items and having them shipped from China. But even people who wouldn’t normally shop in the market signed up for the program.
On the surface, it appears that all people have to do is sign up and create an account in the app, then send invitation codes to their friends. Then, if one of their friends also signs up, both people will cash out the £50 in their PayPal.
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Apparently, users are cheering how easily they can get large amounts of cash.
But then it slowly dawned on people that the terms and conditions outlined how people were actually giving some of their data to Temu for advertising and promotions.
The terms and conditions originally stated: “Except where prohibited by applicable law, participation in the Program and/or receipt or use of rewards constitutes member’s consent to Sponsor’s use and publication of such member’s photo, name, voice, opinions, statements, biographical information and/or hometown and states, for promotional or advertising purposes worldwide in any media, whether now known or hereafter developed, in perpetuity without further review, notice, payment or consideration.”
Following the backlash, Temu has now updated its giveaway terms and conditions to “clarify the limited ways in which the company uses customer data.”
Getty Stock Photos
Commenting on this amendment to LADbible, a Temu spokesperson said: “Some participants in our recent cash bonus campaigns have expressed concerns about the terms and conditions (T&Cs) of the promotions. To reassure our customers, we have adjusted the terms and conditions Conditions, making it clear that we will only use usernames and profile pictures in connection with this promotion for recommendation functionality and winner announcements.”
“The previous terms and conditions were overbroad and inadvertently included promotional uses in which Temu does not participate. Customer trust and satisfaction are at the core of Temu and we do not and will not sell customer data.”
The Chinese company has now made it clear that it will use customer data “to publish only the names and profile pictures of participating consumers.”
Well, either way, this still goes to show that you should always read the fine print when signing up for a plan.
Featured image credit: Getty Stock Images/Temu
Topics: social media, China, technology, money