Ray Zhang, head of AliExpress Korea, speaks at a news conference at a hotel in Seoul on Dec. 6, 2023. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Apr. 25 (Korea Bizwire) – The consumer advocacy group Citizens United for Consumer Sovereignty (CUCS) has filed complaints against the Chinese e-commerce platforms AliExpress and Temu with the Jongno Police Station in Seoul.
The group alleges violations of South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Act and the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Data Protection.
According to the CUCS, AliExpress and Temu have been forcing users to agree to their terms and conditions as well as personal data collection and utilization policies in a blanket manner during third-party logins or new member registrations via platforms like Naver and Kakao.
This practice, the group argues, has been carried out without obtaining users’ selective consent, raising concerns over potential personal data leaks.
“The critical issue is that the collected personal information could potentially be shared with Chinese authorities through third-party provisions,” the group stated, pointing to Article 7 of China’s National Intelligence Law, which stipulates that “any organization and citizen shall support, assist, and cooperate with the state in national intelligence work.”
The CUCS further alleged that AliExpress and Temu have been excessively collecting and utilizing personal data unrelated to product purchases, enabling the platforms to monitor users’ activities in minute detail.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
