The organisation Framtiden i våre hender (Future in Our Hands) has filed a report against Temu for violations of the Marketing Act regarding misleading marketing. The background is an advertising campaign where Temu, according to the report, uses AI-generated images of Norwegian shops, warehouses, and road signs.
The advertisements have been observed on platforms such as Facebook, Dagbladet and Tek.no. Among the motifs are shop premises with the text "TEMU SALE NORWAY" and motorway signs referring to exits for Temu in Norway. Messages such as "NOW WE ARE IN NORWAY!" have also been used.
Temu is now running an advertising campaign in Norway that gives the impression that they are a Norwegian company with shops and warehouses in this country. That is not true. The images are AI-generated, and Temu has neither office, shop nor registration in Norway. This is, in our opinion, misleading marketing in violation of the law, says Tale Hungnes, leader of Framtiden i våre hender, in a statement.
Temu is registered in Ireland under the company name Whaleco Technology Limited, has its headquarters in Boston and its production mainly in China. The fact that the company lacks establishment in Norway has direct consequences for customers, according to Hungnes.
When consumers believe they are shopping from a Norwegian online store, they also assume that Norwegian rules apply. They do not. If you buy from Temu, you yourself are the responsible importer, and if something goes wrong with the product, you have few rights to rely on, says Tale Hungnes.
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The organisation also points to previous findings of health-hazardous and environmentally damaging products from the platform, including electronics with a risk of fire and toys containing toxic chemicals.
Framtiden i våre hender believes that Temu's marketing is designed to influence consumers to make economic decisions they would not otherwise have made. They now urge the authorities to act quickly.
We believe this is a case that requires rapid action from Forbrukertilsynet. Platforms like Temu are growing rapidly in Norway, and then we cannot have a practice where they are allowed to market themselves as something they are not without consequences, concludes Hungnes.