In the future, the Chinese online retailer Shein will be subject to stricter rules in the European Union. The EU Commission has classified Shein as a very large online platform under the Digital Services Act, due to its average of more than 45 million monthly users in the EU. As a result, Shein will need to implement extensive precautions to protect consumers, such as preventing the sale of counterfeit products and addressing violations of intellectual property rights.
One of the requirements for Shein will be to conduct annual risk assessment reports, with a focus on potential adverse effects on the health and safety of consumers, particularly minors. This includes evaluating the physical and mental well-being of underage users. By the end of August, Shein and other large online platforms will need to comply with the DSA’s regulations, which initially affected 19 major services like Amazon, Zalando, Google Maps, Facebook, TikTok, and others.
These regulations were expanded to include more platforms such as Pornhub, Stripchat, XVideos, and now Shein, bringing the total to 23 major online services falling into this category. The aim of these regulations is to create a safer and more responsible digital environment for European consumers when using online platforms.