Pages from the Shein website, left, and from the Temu site, right, are shown in this photo, in New York, Friday, June 23, 2023. Online fast-fashion retailer Shein must face the European Union’s strictest level of digital regulations, the bloc said on Friday, April 26, 2024 as it added the company to its list of big platforms that need extra scrutiny. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
LONDON — Online fast-fashion retailer Shein must face the European Union’s strictest level of digital regulations, the bloc said on Friday as it added the company to its list of big platforms that need extra scrutiny.
The EU’s Executive Commission said it formally classed Shein as a “very large online platform” under the 27-nation bloc’s Digital Services Act, an expansive rulebook designed to clean up online platforms and keep internet users safe.
Shein is a low-cost online retailer founded in China but is now based in Singapore. It reaches customers mainly through its app. It didn’t respond immediately to a request for comment.
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Shein has had a meteoric rise in the West by offering low-cost apparel and household items, primarily targeting younger women through social media partnerships with online influencers and celebrities.
‘Very large online platform’
Because it has more than 45 million European users, Shein has to start obeying the most stringent requirements by August. They include 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.
Shein’s obligations also include adjusting its user interfaces and recommendation algorithms to prevent risks to consumer safety and well-being, and filing annual risk assessment reports evaluating potential harm to consumers, especially children, the commission said.
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The EU already has 22 tech names including Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Amazon, and Google Search on its list of the biggest online services that need the toughest tier of supervision since the DSA took effect last year.
Other online services operating in the EU aren’t exempt – they have to comply with the law’s general requirements. Violations are punishable by fines of up to 6 percent of a company’s annual worldwide revenue.