EU requests clarification from AliExpress

The European Commission has asked the Alibaba subsidiary, AliExpress, for a clarification. The organization wants to know about the measures what the platform is taking to combat the trade in illegal products, including counterfeit medicines. AliExpress has been given three weeks to provide an explanation.

The European Commission has formally requested information from AliExpress under the Digital Services Act (DSA), as announced by the daily administration of the European Union. Alibaba’s platform must disclose “the measures it has taken to comply with obligations related to risk assessments and mitigation measures”. These measures should protect consumers online, “in particular with regard to the distribution of illegal products online such as fake medicines.”

The recently adopted DSA requires major tech companies to take more action against illegal and harmful content on their platforms. Recently, X (formerly Twitter), Meta, and TikTok received questions from Brussels about combating disinformation.

The Digital Services Act is not just about hate speech, disinformation, and cyberbullying, according to EU’s Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton. It is also meant to ensure the removal of illegal or unsafe products sold in the EU via ecommerce platforms, including the growing number of fake and potentially life-threatening medicines and pharmaceuticals sold online.