France urges EU to investigate Shein for selling illegal items including child-like sex dolls

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PARIS (AP) — France is asking the European Union's executive arm to launch an investigation into how the fast-fashion giant Shein was able to sell illegal items including child-like sex dolls and weapons on its sprawling online marketplace.

Two French ministers have sent a letter to Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, urging her to take action against the retailer.

They called on the European Commission “to fully exercise its prerogatives, including through the adoption of interim measures against the platform,” according to the letter provided Thursday by France's finance ministry.

The French government on Wednesday started a procedure to suspend access to Shein's online marketplace until it proves its content conforms to French law.

The French ministers, Roland Lescure and Anne Le Henanff, said Shein is bound by the Digital Services Act, the EU's rulebook designed to clean up online platforms and keep internet users safe.

French officials said that ina addition to sex dolls with childlike features, they also found “large quantities” of illegal “Class A” weapons on Shein’s platform — including firearms, big knives and machetes, as well as war material. The finance ministry said if the prohibited items remain, authorities may suspend the site in France.

“The repeated marketing of illegal content shows that the platform has failed to comply with its obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA), particularly in terms of protecting minors, combating illegal content, and ensuring the traceability of its sellers,” the ministers said.

Shein was added last year to a list of companies that need extra scrutiny as the 27-nation bloc's executive arm classed it as a “very large online platform.”

Because it has more than 45 million European users, Shein has to obey the most stringent requirements, including taking specific measures to protect online users and assessing and mitigating any “systemic risks” from its services, such as limiting the sale of illegal or counterfeit products.

If it does not comply with DSA rules, Shein could be suspended as well as fined up to 6% of its annual profits.

Shein, founded in China in 2012 and now based in Singapore, has pledged to work with French authorities to “address any concerns swiftly.”