Chinese e-commerce giant Shein could face EU ban over ‘childlike sex dolls’
Investigation will also look at the systems the online retailer uses to ensure illegal products are not being sold in Europe
The probe, launched on Tuesday under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), will look into the systems the Singapore-based company has in place to limit the sale of illegal products.
As a next step, the commission will ask Shein for further information and request that it complies with its recommendations.
If Shein fails to do so, it could take interim enforcement measures, although it is also open to voluntary commitments from the company to remedy matters. There is no legal deadline for the probe.
It comes after French authorities moved to suspend Shein in the country for three months last November – on the eve of its first ever physical store opening in Paris – after prosecutors said they were investigating the company over childlike sex dolls found on its website.
In December, a French court ruled against the suspension, categorising it as “disproportionate”, since the offending products had been removed from the platform.