The EU is stepping up scrutiny under the bloc’s strict Digital Services Act.
The EU opened a formal investigation into Chinese online retailer Shein on Feb. 17 over illegal products and concerns about the platform’s potentially addictive design, stepping up scrutiny under the bloc’s strict Digital Services Act.
The move under the Act, which requires online platforms to do more to counter illegal and harmful content, came after France urged the EU executive in November to crack down on the sale of child-like sex dolls on Shein’s platform.
Shein has, since then, stopped the sale of all sex dolls worldwide.
The company and its Chinese rival, Temu, have become the most high-profile symbols of broader concerns over the flow of cheap Chinese products into Europe.
“The Digital Services Act keeps shoppers safe, protects their well-being, and empowers them with information about the algorithms they are interacting with. We will assess whether Shein is respecting these rules and their responsibility,” EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said in a statement.
The Commission had flagged the possibility of an EU investigation last month.
