EU looks into AliExpress for allegedly selling dangerous and unlawful goods.
The Chinese online retailer AliExpress is the subject of a formal inquiry by the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, which said on Thursday that it has broken the regulations governing the distribution of hazardous goods within the EU.
Following social networking site X and TikTok, the European Commission launched its third probe into the distribution of possibly illicit and pornographic content on Thursday. Alibaba’s AliExpress might face a sizable punishment as a result.
The action is made in accordance with the EU executive’s authority provided by the Digital Services Act, which mandates that businesses take further steps to address illicit and hazardous items on their platforms.
«We are concerned about systemic risks related to the spread of illegal products, such as counterfeit drugs or non-compliant and ineffective food or dietary supplements on AliExpress,» several commission representatives said.
Alibaba did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Thursday, the Commission also sent requests for information to Microsoft’s Bing, Google Search, Meta Platforms’ Instagram and Facebook, , Snapchat, ByteDance’s TikTok, and Elon Musk’s social network X about their use of generative artificial intelligence.
Commission representatives said they will examine whether companies conduct risk assessments and have risk mitigation measures in place to address potentially harmful generative AI content.
The Commission also sent a request for information to LinkedIn, a Microsoft-owned social network for the workplace, about the possible use of personal data for targeted advertising, following a complaint from civil society organizations.
Investigations into X and TikTok are still ongoing.
