Irish and EU authorities investigate Shein over 'addictive' design and products linked to child abuse

"It will look at the risks linked to the addictive design of the service, including how it gives consumers points or rewards for engagement, and what systems Shein has in place to mitigate these risks. "Addictive features could have a negative impact on users' well-being and consumer protection online," Henna Virkkunen, the Finnish commissioner with responsibility for tech security, said."

"The commission will also focus on the transparency of recommender systems Shein uses to propose products to customers. The e-retailer has a legal obligation to reveal the parameters. It also has a duty to give users at least one easily-accessible option not based on profiling for each recommender system. This means Shein cannot only offer product recommendations based on personal data and browsing history."

"Alongside this investigation, Coimisiun na Meán is to check whether Shein is in compliance with Article 28 of the DSA, which covers the safety and privacy of minors. It has written to the company seeking information about the accessibility of the service to children, what measures it is taking to prevent the purchase of age-inappropriate products by minors, and what restrictions apply to sellers on how they portray minors in product images."

The European Commission has opened an investigation under the Digital Services Act into Shein for alleged addictive design, lack of recommender-system transparency, and sale of illegal products including child sexual abuse material. Coimisiun na Meán will assess compliance with Article 28 on minors' safety and privacy and has requested information on accessibility to children, age-restriction measures, and seller rules for portraying minors. The inquiry will examine systems limiting illegal product sales in the EU, including child-like sex dolls, and evaluate reward systems that may encourage addictive engagement and mitigation measures. Proceedings involve evidence gathering, information requests, monitoring of actions, and no fixed deadline.

Read at Irish Independent