The European Commission has begun formal proceedings against Chinese tech giant Alibaba’s online retail service, AliExpress, to assess potential violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The Commission is scrutinising AliExpress‘s approach to illegal content dissemination and consumer protection.
There are concerns regarding AliExpress’s content moderation, particularly in prohibiting products harmful to consumers’ health and minors, as well as preventing the dissemination of illegal content.
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AliExpress is under scrutiny for transparency issues related to advertising, recommender systems, and traceability of traders. There are concerns about hidden links, influencer promotion of illegal products, and lack of transparency in recommender systems.
The Commission is evaluating AliExpress’s compliance with providing researchers access to publicly available data, as mandated by Article 40 of the DSA.
The identified failures, if proven, could constitute infringements of several articles of the DSA. These articles cover various aspects of platform responsibilities, transparency, and user protection.
The Commission’s investigation involves gathering additional evidence, conducting interviews, and potentially carrying out inspections to ascertain the extent of the alleged breaches.
There is no set deadline for concluding the formal proceedings. The duration depends on factors such as case complexity and the level of cooperation from AliExpress.
AliExpress was designated as a Very Large Online Platform under the DSA due to its significant user base in the EU. The DSA applies to all online intermediaries in the EU since February 17, 2023, necessitating compliance with its obligations.
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