EU investigation into Shein: Algorithms and the sale of illegal products under indictment
The Chinese group is accused in some countries of offering illicit items for sale, and of creating addiction among users
From our correspondent Beda Romano
BRUSSELS - The European Commission's investigations under the Digital Services Act, the now well-known legal text that allows the European Union to regulate the big digital world, are multiplying. The EU executive announced today, Tuesday 17 February, the opening of a formal investigation against Shein, the Chinese group accused in some member states of offering illicit items for sale, and of creating addiction among users.
"In the European Union, illegal products are banned, whether they are on shop shelves or on online marketplaces," European Commission Vice-President Henna Virkkunen commented in a statement from Brussels. "The Digital Services Act guarantees the safety of buyers, protects their well-being and informs them about the algorithms with which they interact. We will assess whether Shein complies with these rules and its responsibilities'.
In essence, Brussels wants to verify the limits Shein has set for itself in selling illegal items - in recent weeks it had emerged that in France the Chinese company was selling sex dolls of children to the public. It also wants to find out whether the design of the Chinese company's apps is not addictive for users. Among other things, the European Commission wants to understand the risks of giving points or rewards to those who visit the site.
Finally, the Commission wants to understand whether the customer recommendation system used by the Chinese company complies with the transparency obligation required by the Digital Services Act. In its communiqué, Brussels recalls that EU legislation requires companies to propose at least one option that is not linked to the profiling of the user. In recent times, the EU executive has opened several investigations under the DSA, most recently against TikTok.
"We take our obligations under the DSA very seriously. We have always cooperated fully with the European Commission and will continue to do so throughout the course of these proceedings,' explained a spokesperson for the Chinese group. In November, the sale of child sex dolls had caused a scandal in France. While waiting for the French judiciary to rule in mid-March, the company assured that it had cleaned up its own platform.
(This article was updated at 16:40 on 17 February 2026)
