"EU probes Chinese site AliExpress over potentially illegal online products" 14 March 2024

The European Commission has opened a formal investigation into Chinese e-commerce site AliExpress over concerns about illegal and pornographic content on its platform.

In a statement on Thursday, the European Union’s executive arm said it would investigate the e-commerce giant under its Digital Services Act (DSA), a law requiring companies to do more to tackle illegal and harmful products on their platforms...

...the Commission says it suspects the marketplace of breaching DSA rules in areas linked to the management and mitigation of risks; content moderation and its internal complaint handling mechanism; the transparency of advertising and recommender systems; and the traceability of traders and to data access for researchers...

Fake medicines, food, and dietary supplements sales – as well as pornographic material that the commission said minors can still access on the website – are major issues, the statement read...

AliExpress was designated a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) back in April last year, alongside other marketplaces, including Amazon and Zalando...

The move followed a “request for information” order the EU sent to Alibaba Group Holding Limited, owners of AliExpress, last November, in what was the first stage of the investigation...

Alibaba was contacted by TechCrunch for comment... “We respect all applicable rules and regulations in the markets where we operate. As a VLOP, we have been working with, and will continue to work with, the relevant authorities on making sure we comply with applicable standards and will continue to ensure that we will be able to meet the requirements of the DSA. AliExpress is committed to creating a safe and compliant marketplace for all consumers.”