EU fines AliExpress US$630 million over illegal products

It is the largest fine ever imposed under the EU’s powerful Digital Services Act, part of the bloc’s legal armoury to police big tech

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AliExpress is the biggest Chinese e-commerce platform in the EU with 193 million users. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 7:23pm, 20 Jul 2026Updated: 7:25pm, 20 Jul 2026

The EU on Monday slapped a €550 million (US$630 million) fine on online retailer AliExpress for allowing the sale of illegal products, including unsafe toys and cosmetics.

The European Union said AliExpress also did not do enough to stop the sale of counterfeit products and that when the platform detected illegal goods were on sale, many remained online for several weeks.

The EU found some of the products sold on the platform did not meet the bloc’s strict environmental and safety standards during its investigation into AliExpress launched in March 2024.

“Risks must be identified and addressed systematically to ensure consumers can safely shop online. Today, we are holding AliExpress to this standard and request it to take action,” EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said in a statement.

It is the largest fine ever imposed under the EU’s powerful Digital Services Act (DSA), part of the bloc’s legal armoury to police big tech that entered into force in 2022.

Elon Musk’s X social media platform received a €120 million fine in December last year, while the EU slapped e-commerce giant Temu with a €200 million fine in May.

EU fines AliExpress US$630 million over illegal products

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}It is the largest fine ever imposed under the EU’s powerful Digital Services Act, part of the bloc’s legal armoury to police big tech

It is the largest fine ever imposed under the EU’s powerful Digital Services Act, part of the bloc’s legal armoury to police big tech