ollowing the scandal over the sale of childlike sex dolls and other illegal goods, the European Commission has launched formal proceedings against the Asian online retailer Shein. The Brussels authority said on Tuesday that the investigation concerns the platform’s “addictive design,” a lack of transparency in product recommendations and the sale of “illegal products,” including materials linked to child sexual abuse. Shein said it would “participate constructively in the procedure.”
The online platform was founded in China in 2012 but is now headquartered in Singapore. Shein came under heavy pressure in France in November over the sale of sex dolls with childlike features. A French judicial investigation into the sale of child pornographic products is ongoing. However, a court in Paris rejected a request to block the platform after Shein removed the illegal items from its website.
These are the first proceedings launched by the European Commission against Shein under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). The law obliges major internet platforms to remove illegal content. This includes sexualized images, child pornography, death threats and Nazi symbols, which are prohibited online just as they are offline.
The Commission will now gather further evidence and request information from Shein. The company may propose measures to address the deficiencies identified by the Commission. The authority stressed that “the opening of formal proceedings does not prejudge the outcome” and that there is no deadline for concluding the investigation.
Shein said the company shares “the Commission’s goal of ensuring a safe and trustworthy online environment.” It added that it has already taken numerous measures to comply with the requirements of the DSA. An EU official said the illegal products also included weapons, toys, clothing and cosmetic items. Regarding potentially addictive features, Brussels suspects that Shein “underestimated this aspect in its risk assessment and also failed to take appropriate measures to address this specific risk.”
Addictive functions could “have a negative impact on users’ well-being and consumer protection online,” the Commission said. Brussels also wants details about the algorithms used to offer personalized content to users.
Alexander von Preen, president of the German Retail Federation (HDE), described the Commission’s proceedings against Shein as an “encouraging sign” and called for firm action. “If the abuses are not eliminated consistently and credibly, shutting down a platform must not be taboo,” von Preen told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND).
The European Commission is also conducting investigations under the DSA into the Chinese online retailer AliExpress as well as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X. In early February, the Commission called on TikTok to change its “addictive functionality.” Representatives of the administration of US President Donald Trump have repeatedly accused the EU of “censorship” in connection with the DSA.
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