In potential violation of its newly implemented Digital Services Act (DSA), the European Commission has initiated formal legal proceedings against AliExpress, an online marketplace owned by Alibaba, a prominent Chinese technology conglomerate.

AliExpress may have violated the DSA “in areas relating to risk management and mitigation, content moderation and the internal complaint handling mechanism, advertising and recommender system transparency, trader traceability, and data access for researchers,” according to the executive branch of the European Union.

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The investigation is expected to center on whether AliExpress neglected to adequately enforce its terms of service, which prohibit the sale of health-hazardous products, including counterfeit medications, food, and dietary supplements.

The investigation will additionally examine whether AliExpress was implicated in any breaches that granted juveniles access to explicit content, which consumers can still find on the platform, according to the European Commission.

The European Commission stated that AliExpress might be deficient in protective measures against the spread of illicit content. Additionally, the report raised concerns regarding the platform’s adequacy in safeguarding against deliberate manipulation facilitated by “hidden links” and “influencers endorsing illicit or hazardous products” via its affiliate program.

The e-commerce site is also required by the DSA to provide a searchable and trustworthy repository of advertisements that are displayed on the platform, as well as an efficient internal complaint-handling system. The investigators will also examine the manner in which AliExpress suggests its products to users.

Since the implementation of the DSA in February, this is the third formal investigation that has been initiated in relation to AliExpress. Comparable legal actions were initiated in response to the social media platforms TikTok and X.

The purpose of the regulation is to prevent detrimental and unlawful activities on the Internet, such as cyberbullying, hate speech, and the dissemination of false information.

“Protection of consumers, particularly minors, is a fundamental and critical tenet of the Digital Services Act.” “AlieExpress must adhere to its responsibilities to mitigate systemic risks on its platform and implement all safeguard provisions to ensure the security of its services,” stated the European Commission’s executive vice president, Margrethe Vestager.

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AliExpress stated in a statement to Cybernews that it complies with “all applicable regulations and rules in the markets in which we conduct business.”

The organization stated that it would persist in collaborating with pertinent regulatory bodies to “ensure our adherence to relevant standards and to ensure our ability to fulfill the requirements of the DSA.”

It stated, “AliExpress is dedicated to establishing a compliant and secure marketplace for all customers.”

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