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The European Commission has initiated an investigation to determine whether the online store Temu complies with EU laws.
The focus of the investigation includes areas „related to the sale of illegal products“ and the „potentially addictive design of the service“.
The European Commission stated this in a communication on Thursday.
The outgoing Danish Commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, says that Temu must comply with the Digital Services Act.
„Our enforcement will ensure a level playing field and that all platforms, including Temu, fully respect the laws that keep our European market safe and fair,“ Vestager says.
Chinese Temu has quickly established itself as one of the most popular online stores in Germany, and many have embraced its products due to low prices.
However, several times products sold through the store have been criticized for not complying with German regulations.
According to the EU communication, the investigation will focus on Temu’s systems designed to prevent the reappearance of products that do not comply with EU regulations on the platform.
The same applies to systems for merchants who have previously sold illegal products.
The Commission reports that it will be an „in-depth“ investigation of the platform. In September, it had 92 million monthly users in the EU.
The investigation also covers the service design, which is described as „addictive“.
This includes „game-like“ customer loyalty programs.
Such programs can „have negative consequences for a person’s physical and mental well-being,“ writes the EU.