The international e-commerce platform; Temu, said it is dedicated to protecting users’ personal information and will cooperate with authorities to resolve issues regarding its data handling methods in response to an ongoing investigation by Nigeria’s Data Protection agency.
This comes after the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) announced that it had opened an investigation into the platform for alleged violations of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, namely in relation to the way it gathers, handles, stores, and transmits the personal information of Nigerians.
According to Temu, maintaining data security and safeguarding user privacy are still essential to its business operations. It further stated that while the investigation is ongoing, it will keep lines of communication open with the Nigerian regulator.
Prior to the examination, the NDPC had revealed that it had discovered possible problems with the platform’s data processing operations. The investigation’s primary emphasis areas, according to the commission, include data minimization, duty of care, transparency requirements, and cross-border personal information transfers.
The agency also issued a warning, stating that companies who process Nigerians’ personal data in violation of the nation’s data protection law risk criminal charges and other sanctions. Since its launch in Nigeria in late 2024, Temu has quickly become well-known thanks to its affordable goods, forceful marketing efforts, and mobile-first business strategy. Millions of Nigerians are thought to have joined the platform in a short time, drawing regulatory attention to the handling of massive amounts of customer data.
The NDPC is empowered by legislation to oversee the collection and processing of personal data by organizations, look into security breaches, and punish infractions.
