The European Commission said it was using the bloc’s digital rulebook, also known as ‘.digital Acquis,’ to demand more information from the firm about what it is doing to protect children.
What is the story of the dolls and why is the EU getting involved?
The issue of the dolls first arose in early November when French authorities condemned Shein for displaying figures with child-like features for sale on his website. Officers then found a large quantity of illegal weapons, including firearms, knives and machetes.
The French government reacted by taking the step of suspending access to the Shein website in France.
It also asked the European Commission – the EU’s executive branch – to investigate under the bloc’s Digital Services Act, which requires online platforms to do more to protect users, while also threatening heavy financial penalties for those who do not comply.
The commission said it now had “serious indications that Shein could indeed pose greater systemic risks to our consumers across the EU,” spokesman Thomas Regnier said at a daily briefing in Brussels, adding that the executive branch had two key questions that needed to be answered. “First, what systems has the company put in place to prevent these illegal goods from being sold online? Second, what has the company done to prevent minors from accessing them?”
What do we know about Sheen and what has he said so far?
Shein was founded in China in 2012 but is now based in Singapore. While the company has officially moved its headquarters to Singapore, a large portion of its manufacturing and production is still located in China.
The company responded by acknowledging the EU’s request, and saying that “we are working to promptly address this while maintaining ongoing and constructive dialogue with EU regulators”.
Shein has seen a huge rise amid a disruptive new trend in the global textile industry.
The company implements the fast fashion business model whereby it produces products on a large scale, manufactures them at low cost, and brings them to retail immediately when demand is at its highest.
Edited by: Jennifer Cimino Gonzalez
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