Temu's 'free cash giveaway' is breaking the internet

Everyone is talking about Temu on social media after their sketchy free cash giveaway went viral online.

Temu is an online marketplace operated in China that is known for it's cheap goods and 'too good to be true' giveaways, but one giveaway has caught everyone's attention.

The latest giveaway claims to give individuals 'free cash'. All you have to do is download the Temu app and register, and then send out an "invitation code" to others. The giveaway claims that once both individuals sign up, they both receive £50 in their PayPal.

Hidden in the top corner where you sign up for your free cash are the "rules", which is where the benefits of this giveaway for Temu become clearer.

To begin with, the rules state that Temu can, "cancel, change, suspend, or modify any aspect of the Program at any time, including, without limitation, the availability of any Rewards or other benefits without notice." So you may sign up for a Temu account and get all your friends to do the same without receiving any money.

Additionally, you only have 24 hours, "from the time of a Member's Program enrolment in the Program", to get enough people to sign up in order for you to receive the money.

Temu can also decide to not give you money directly into your bank account, but rather Temu credits to use on their website: "Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a Reward of equal or greater value, e.g. Temu credits, at any time in its sole discretion, including, without limitation, when a Reward is no longer available."

But the main takeaway from the rules is that by signing up, large amounts of your data can be used by Temu for advertising or promotional purposes:

"Except to the extent prohibited by applicable law, participation in the Program and/or receipt or use of Rewards constitutes a Member's consent for Sponsor to use and publish such Member's photo, name likeness, voice, opinions, statements, biographical information, and/or hometown and state for promotional or advertising purposes in any media worldwide, now known or hereafter developed, in perpetuity without further review, notification, payment, or consideration."

This data can also be shared to third parties, inline with Temu's Privacy Policy, which acknowledges that under certain laws can be considered "selling" your data: "Certain of these disclosures to third parties are known as 'sharing' or processing your personal information for targeted ads and but 'sharing' may be considered 'selling' your personal information under applicable law."

However, this hasn't stopped hundreds of people signing up for the giveaway, and it means many people can't 'escape' seeing the giveaway on their social media feeds.

When approached for comment by indy100, a Temu spokesperson said: "Temu gathers user information solely for the purpose of delivering our service and to enhance customer experience. We do not sell user information. The terms and conditions highlighted are commonplace in similar promotions held by various companies across different sectors."

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