EU commission: Chinese giant AliExpress to tackle illegal products

Chinese online marketplace AliExpress is to take stronger action against illegal and potentially dangerous products such as medicines and food supplements following pressure from the European Commission.

The commission said on Wednesday that consumers will be able to report suspicious products more easily, while the platform has promised to make its advertising and recommendation systems more transparent.

"The commission has accepted and made binding a series of commitments offered by AliExpress to settle a number of concerns," it said in a statement.

Penalties will be imposed immediately if the company violates the commitments.

The authority in Brussels also "preliminarily found AliExpress in breach of its obligation to assess and mitigate risks related to the dissemination of illegal products" under the Digital Services Act.

Moderation systems designed to prevent the distribution of illegal products are not equipped well enough, the commission argued.

In addition, sanctions against traders who have repeatedly published illegal content are not adequately enforced.

AliExpress can now comment on these allegations before the Commission reaches a final decision.

The commission first initiated proceedings against AliExpress after publishing allegations in March 2024.