On Friday 28 June, the European Commission sent a formal request for information to online sales platforms Temu and Shein under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The Commission expects platforms to provide details of the measures they have taken to comply with the DSA’s obligations, in particular those relating to the ‘notice and action procedures’, which allow users to notify illegal products.
The EU is also calling for information on the readability of their interfaces, the protection of minors, and the transparency, product conformity and traceability systems of merchants.
This request for information comes two months after the Commission designated these two Chinese platforms as ‘Very Large Online Platforms’ (‘VLOPs’) (see EUROPE 13400/11, 13421/8).
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) also lodged a complaint with the European Commission last May, accusing Temu of breaching the DSA by manipulating its users into spending more.
The two platforms have until 12 July to provide the information requested, failing which they could face the opening of a formal investigation. (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)