On Thursday, October 31, the European Commission opened an investigation against the Chinese online trading site Temu, suspected of not having taken sufficient measures against the sale of illegal and potentially dangerous products. “We want to ensure that the products sold [sur la plateforme de Temu] They comply with European Union standards and do not endanger consumers »explained Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager in a press release.
No legal deadline has been set to conclude the investigation. If Temu is found guilty of any offence, it could be fined up to 6% of its annual turnover, under the new EU Digital Services Regulation.
Temu, which is experiencing rapid growth in Europe thanks to a low-price strategy, is the international version of the Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo, born in 2015. It offers a wide variety of products: clothing, toys, decoration, tools, high -technology…
The group is committed to working closely with the services of the European Commission. “Temu takes its obligations under the Digital Services Regulation very seriously and continually invests to protect the interests of consumers. “We will fully cooperate with regulators.”a spokesperson said.
The Brussels investigation comes after several warnings and written questions directed at the platform. It will focus in particular on “the systems established to limit the sale of non-compliant products in the European Union” and in particular the means implemented “to prevent the reappearance of unwanted and previously suspended merchants” for this reason, explained the European Commission.
Accusations of using deceptive interfaces
The Brussels executive, which now plays the role of digital police in the European Union, will also examine “the risks linked to the addictive design of the service” Online sales, including rewards programs in a fun way. “probably has negative consequences for the physical and mental well-being of users”.
The Commission will also examine product recommendation systems for users and Temu’s obligation to disclose the main parameters used by these systems. The European executive also suspects that Temu does not respect the obligation to provide researchers with access to the platform’s data.
European consumer associations filed a complaint against Temu in May, accusing it in particular of using misleading interfaces to encourage users to spend more on the platform. The company stated, on October 11, that it had already “took significant steps” since spring, although he stressed that it continues “refine” their practices “under the Digital Services Regulation”.
At the end of September, six European Union countries, including France and Germany, asked the Commission to tighten the screws against Temu. “Every day hundreds of thousands of packages arrive at our house, especially from China, with goods that do not respect the rules of the European market”denounced the German Secretary of State for the Economy, Sven Giegold, during a meeting with his European Union counterparts in Brussels.
