By Ebi Kesiena
The European Union (EU) on Monday announced an investigation into Chinese e-commerce giant AliExpress, seeking more details on what measures it is taking to protect consumers online from illegal products, including fake medicines.
According to the EU, it has sent a formal request for information to AliExpress, owned by Alibaba, in what is a first step in a process under a new EU new law, the Digital Services Act (DSA), that aims to counter the spread of illegal goods and content online.
The EU noted that it expressed its interest in gaining further insights into AliExpress’ plans for fulfilling its responsibilities regarding risk assessments.
‘‘We also want to know the measures to safeguard online consumers, especially with respect to addressing the issue of illegal product dissemination, such as counterfeit medicines,” the statement read.
AliExpress is expected to provide a response by November 27.
Also, the European Union has developed a powerful armoury to challenge the might of Big Tech with its milestone DSA and a sister law, the Digital Markets Act, that hits web giants with strict curbs, obligations and oversight on how they do business.
The DSA came into effect in August for 19 “very large” platforms, including AliExpress, Facebook and Instagram, that have more than 45 million monthly European users.
The EU has already started probes into Meta, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), requesting more details about how they have acted against disinformation.
The EU’s top tech enforcer, Thierry Breton, stressed that the DSA was not just about countering hate speech and disinformation online.
“It is also there to ensure removal of illegal or unsafe products sold in the EU via e-commerce platforms, including the growing number of fake and potentially life-threatening medicines and pharmaceuticals sold online,” Breton said.
