(VitalNews.org) – The European Commission said that it has officially opened a formal investigation into AliExpress.
AliExpress is an online retail giant that is run by a Chinese company, Alibaba. The investigation is being launched to look into potential illegal and sexual content on the website. They are looking into violations that would violate the new Digital Services Act which was just put into effect this month.
They are looking to see if the company has breached this recent act in “areas linked to the management and mitigation of risks, to content moderation and the internal complaint handling mechanism, to the transparency of advertising and recommender systems, to the traceability of traders and to data access for researchers.”
It will look into different potential violations such as violations of AliExpress’s terms and services which prohibit things like fake medicines and other items that could be a risk to someone. They will also look into violations that allowed minors to access pornography, which the commission said you can still find on the platform.
In addition to these violations, they’ll also be investigating how AliExpress recommends certain products to consumers and to ensure that they comply with ad rules.
An AliExpress spokesperson said that they 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,” the spokesperson added.
The DSA has launched investigations into multiple platforms over the last few months including both X, formerly Twitter, and TikTok.
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