The European Commission said it is using the bloc’s Digital Rulebook, also known as the “digital acquis,” to demand more information from companies about what it does to protect children.
The problem with the dolls first came to light in early November when French authorities condemned Shein for listing figures with childlike features for sale on his website. Authorities then discovered large quantities of illegal weapons, including firearms, knives and machetes.
The French government responded by suspending access to Shein’s website in France.
It also asked the European Commission – the EU’s executive branch – to investigate under the bloc’s Digital Services Act, which requires online platforms to do more to protect users, threatening large financial penalties for those who don’t comply.
The commission said it now had “serious indications that Shein may indeed pose more systemic risks to our consumers across the European Union,” spokesman Thomas Regnier told a daily briefing in Brussels, adding that the executive had two key questions to answer.
– First, what systems has the company put in place to prevent the sale of these illegal goods online? Second, what has the company done to prevent minors from accessing them? – he stated.
Shein was founded in China in 2012, but is now headquartered in Singapore. Although the company has officially moved its headquarters to Singapore, much of its manufacturing and production is still located in China.
The company responded by acknowledging the EU request and saying it was “working to resolve it quickly”, while maintaining a “continuous and constructive dialogue with EU regulators”.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
