Brussels is shining the spotlight on the Chinese e-commerce giants: Shein and Temu. In particular, the European Commission aims to verify that the measures required by the Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires large technology companies to do more to combat the spread of illegal and harmful goods and content, have been applied. The answers needed in Brussels concern the alert system which allows users to report illegal products. But also online interfaces: it is necessary to check that they are not designed to deceive or manipulate users. In particular, we must avoid what we call dark pattern“dark patterns,” used to trick users into making unwanted purchases or opting for certain purchase settings without their knowledge. Other topics Brussels is working on include the protection of minors, transparency of algorithms and traceability of merchants.
The complaint
The need to shed light on the modus operandi of the two online retailer arises from reports presented by various European consumer protection organizations. In May, the European Commission received a complaint against Temu, accused of using “manipulative techniques” by the European Consumers' Bureau (the organization representing European consumer associations). The deadline is July 12: by this date, the virtual commerce giants will have to provide all the necessary answers. And only then will the community executive decide whether it is appropriate to open a formal procedure and impose periodic sanctions.
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