Digital Services Act

EU tightens rules for fashion retailer Shein

(Bild: AFP)

The EU Commission is tightening its grip on Chinese online retailer Shein, which attracts millions of European consumers to its platform with bargain prices for fashion items. According to the Brussels authority, Shein was officially categorized as a very large online platform under the Digital Services Act (DSA) on Friday - and is therefore subject to stricter regulations.

According to the EU Commission, Shein has an average of more than 45 million monthly users in the European Union. This puts the company above the threshold for classification as a very large online platform under the Digital Services Act. This means that Shein must now take extensive precautions within four months, i.e. by the end of August, to protect against counterfeit products and infringements of intellectual property rights, for example.

In addition, annual risk assessment reports will become mandatory for the Chinese company, which will have to take a close look at possible adverse effects on the health and safety of consumers in particular - with a focus on the physical and mental well-being of underage users.

Since the end of August, the DSA's requirements for digital giants have initially affected 19 major services, including online retailers Amazon and Zalando, Google Maps and platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter). In December, the platforms Pornhub, Stripchat and XVideos were added. Including Shein, 23 major online services now fall into this category.