EU launching investigation into Shein over addictive design and sale of illegal products
An investigation has been launched into the online retail store, Shein, regarding addictive designs as well as the sale of illegal items.
This discount retailer is suspected of breaking multiple European laws, which include things like childlike sex dolls.
The European Commission has launched an inquiry following requests for information from Shein over the past year.
The investigation was announced on Tuesday and has been triggered under the Digital Services Act.
In November last year, Shein was reported to the authorities over the sex dolls, to which Shein said they would be banning the sale of all dolls of this nature on its site.
Along with this, the European Commission is investigating the sale of illegal products in the European Union that do not comply with EU law.
The app's addictive nature will also be investigated, with claims of addictive designs that reward users by giving them points and rewards for their engagement.
To top it all off, the European Commission will assess the transparency of recommender systems that Shein often uses to promote its products and content to users.
Irish regulator Coimisiún na Meán is due to be heavily involved in the process, as Shein have their European headquarters here in Ireland.
The European Commission said: “Under the DSA, Shein must disclose the main parameters used in its recommender systems and it must provide users with at least one easily accessible option that is not based on profiling for each recommender system.”
EU Commission Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, said: “In the EU, illegal products are prohibited, whether they are on a store shelf or on an online marketplace.
“The Digital Services Act keeps shoppers safe, protects their wellbeing and empowers them with information about the algorithms they are interacting with.
“We will assess whether Shein is respecting these rules and their responsibility.”
In a statement, Shein said: “Following issues identified last year, in addition to the enhancement of detection tools, we also accelerated the rollout of additional safeguards around age-restricted products.
“Protecting minors and reducing the risk of harmful content and behaviours are central to how we develop and operate our platform.”