Porn sites to be investigated for failing to comply with rules to protect children
Adult content platforms Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos will be investigated for failing to comply with rules to protect children, EU regulators said yesterday, in a move that could lead to fines of as much as 6pc of their global annual turnover.
The European Commission said the companies had not complied with the Digital Services Act, which requires them to do more to tackle illegal and harmful content on their platforms following their designation as very large online platforms in 2023.
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Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Irish Examiner
EU accuses China's AliExpress of ‘systemic failure' over illegal goods
The European Commission has accused the online retailer AliExpress of a 'systemic failure' to prevent the sale of illegal and dangerous goods on its platform, as Brussels steps up its case against the Chinese company. Issuing formal findings of an investigation launched in March last year, EU regulators said on Wednesday that AliExpress was failing to do enough to prevent the sale of counterfeit clothes and dangerous children's toys, among other items. The company, which claims 104 million monthly users in the EU, did not devote enough resources to content moderation to take down illegal goods on sale on its platform, regulators said. An EU official said the company – which is owned by Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce group founded by the Chinese billionaire Jack Ma – had 'underestimated the general risk of the sale of illegal products'. The official added: 'General measures they have in place to avoid the dissemination of illegal products do not work properly – it shows a systemic failure.' The European Commission said these were preliminary findings, pending further investigation and responses from AliExpress. If EU officials uphold the verdict, the company can in theory be fined up to 6% of global turnover under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA). 'Hidden links' AliExpress has, however, persuaded EU regulators to close aspects of their investigation, by pledging to take action to tackle 'hidden links' that take users to an illegal product via a legitimate one. The online marketplace promised to develop a system to monitor and detect hidden links to illegal products, such as food supplements and medicines, which have been offered for sale via legitimate items. Such hidden links were also said to have taken children to pornographic material. AliExpress also promised greater transparency over its advertising systems and availability of its data to researchers, which Brussels said addressed concerns in these areas. The European Commission described the commitments as 'legally binding' and said AliExpress could face fines if it failed to follow through. The investigation comes under the DSA, which is intended to protect people from online harms such as disinformation, illegal content and dangerous products. The act imposes the strictest requirements on the largest companies with more than 45 million users, including Amazon, Google, Meta and X. AliExpress response AliExpress said it had 'proactively engaged and closely collaborated with the European Commission throughout this process' and would continue to do so. 'The commission has recognised our committed approach to ensure a high level of consumer protection and transparency through the breadth and depth of these voluntary commitments offered and agreed,' it said. 'We are confident that a positive and compliant result will be achieved through continuing our mutual dialogue with the commission to address any remaining concerns on the DSA.' The Guardian Read More Transatlantic airfares slump as Western Europeans skip US travel
Irish Examiner
6 days ago
- Irish Examiner
European laws will prevent children accessing harmful content online
European laws will prevent children from being exposed to 'dark patterns' online while new age checks will stop them accessing harmful content like pornography, Michael McGrath has said. The European commissioner for justice, and former minister for finance, told the Irish Examiner that the new proposed Digital Fairness Act will also limit harmful addictive design features such as gambling-like mechanics through loot boxes in popular video games. It comes as Ireland's media minister will haul in some of the big social media firms on Monday to tell them that age and identity verification on social media platforms must be introduced as a priority. 'The internet should be a place of opportunity for children, not a minefield of risks,' Mr McGrath said. 'Adolescence is a critical period for brain and personality development. Today's digital natives navigate blurred boundaries between online and offline worlds and are vulnerable to risks such as cyberbullying and excessive screen time.' He said figures show most children are regularly playing video games which expose them to practices such as impulsive purchase prompts and addictive features which heighten the risk for younger people. They are also vulnerable to social media influencers who are followed by children promoting 'unhealthy or inappropriate content without clearly disclosing advertising'. Parents are then left to protect their children online rather than companies being held accountable, he said. Next month, the country's first online safety code will come into force. Media regulator Coimisiún na Meán's code is still subject to a judicial review from Elon Musk-owned X. The code — which is aligned with Europe's Digital Services Act — is aimed at protecting children online, with binding rules that seek to prevent harmful content like cyberbullying, racism, or incitement to hatred. These rules will require platforms to introduce robust age verification, such as verifying a passport, to prevent children from accessing pornography or gratuitous violence online. If a company breaks the new code, fines of €20m or 10% of their turnover, could apply. Draft guidelines are also out to public consultation that promote safer default settings, child-friendly tools and effective age verification. Mr McGrath said the Digital Fairness Act will complement existing measures and seeks to extend protections against targeted advertising beyond online platforms to all traders. 'Furthermore, the Digital Fairness Act could establish boundaries for acceptable content promoted by social media influencers to young audiences, addressing issues like hidden marketing and unhealthy endorsements,' he said. 'Under the Digital Services Act, platforms must already now ensure high standards of privacy, safety, and security for minors, including a ban on targeted advertising based on profiling. "Very large platforms — those with over 45m users per month — must assess and mitigate systemic risks affecting children. 'The commission is also developing privacy-friendly age verification tools aligned with the EU Digital Identity wallet to prevent minors' access to harmful content such as pornography.' Mr McGrath said that investigations into major platforms like Meta's Instagram and Facebook, TikTok and several pornographic websites are ongoing to ensure they are complying with child protection rules. Draft guidelines are also out to public consultation that promote safer default settings, child-friendly tools and effective age verification. 'Protecting minors online is a continuously evolving challenge,' Mr McGrath added. Separately, big social media firms are to be hauled before media minister Patrick O'Donovan today, as calls grow for tech companies to introduce age verification for users. He is due to tell the tech firms the era of the 'Wild West' on social media is coming to an end. It is understood that five tech firms — Meta, TikTok, Google, LinkedIn, and X — have been invited in to meet with Mr O'Donovan. It's understood all five will be sending representatives to the meeting. 'The damage that social media is doing to young people and to society in general is extremely worrying,' a senior government source said. Read More Excessive screen time impacts relationship between parents and children, psychologists warn
Irish Examiner
29-05-2025
- Irish Examiner
Fake discounts and pressure tactics: How Shein has become the target of Ireland's consumer watchdog
Chinese fast fashion brand Shein is usually in the news because of its poor human rights and environmental record. This week, its anti-consumer practices came under the spotlight. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), along with the European Commission and national consumer authorities in Belgium, France and The Netherlands have called on Shein to rectify several practices on its platform that potentially breach EU consumer law. Shein routinely uses fake discounts, which seem to offer better deals by showing price reductions, but these reductions are not actually based on prior prices, as required by EU law. They also use pressure tactics: using false deadlines to make consumers feel they have to act now or lose out on a bargain. The consumer body says the site also displays incomplete and incorrect information about a consumer's rights to return goods and receive refunds. There's also deceptive labelling, where it's suggested the product offers something special when in fact the relevant feature is required by law. Misleading claims is another issue. This is where the site gives false or deceptive information about the sustainability benefits of certain products. And if you want to contact Shein with questions or complaints, you're going to have trouble finding its contact details — another potential breach of consumer law. The CCPC says information has been requested to assess the company's compliance with further obligations, including those around product rankings, ratings and reviews, and third-party sellers. Shein now has one month to propose commitments on how it will address the identified consumer law issues. Picture: Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Last April, Shein was designated as a Very Large Online Platform under the Digital Services Act. Shein then had four months to comply with the most stringent obligations applicable to these platforms. These include the obligation to assess and mitigate any systemic risks stemming from its services. The European Commission is currently carrying out a preliminary Digital Services Act investigation of Shein that concerns, among other things, the presence of illegal content and goods on Shein's marketplace, the transparency of its recommender systems and measures to mitigate risks relating to consumer protection, public health and users' wellbeing. The ongoing investigation, which is being carried out through the European Commission's Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) network is co-led by the CCPC, together with consumer authorities in Belgium, France and The Netherlands under the coordination of the European Commission. Shein now has one month to propose commitments on how it will address the identified consumer law issues. Depending on its reply, the CPC may enter a dialogue with the company, and if it does not address the concerns identified, national authorities may take enforcement measures to ensure compliance. Any resultant fines will be based on the company's annual turnover in the relevant member states. Patrick Kenny is a member of the CCPC. He says consumers should be allowed to shop without being put under pressure by fake deadlines or misled by fake discounts. They also need clear information about how consumers can contact the company, how to return an item and receive a refund. In this case, the CCPC and the CPC network have identified several practices that could mislead consumers or undermine their consumer rights. "E-retailers and online marketplaces have a legal obligation to provide transparent and honest information about the products they sell, and consumers' rights around returns. The CCPC takes any breaches of the law very seriously and looks forward to constructive engagement with Shein during the course of this investigation.' Boots Ireland pleaded guilty to breaking sales-pricing legislation. File picture The big problem with Shein is, of course, its contribution to ecological degradation and abusive labour practices. A recent BBC investigation into the online retailer found workers were routinely spending 75 hours a week bent over sewing machines — in contravention of China's own labour laws. In 2023, the company admitted to finding two cases of child labour in its supply chain. The company's runaway success has been built on selling dresses and tops that cost next to nothing, which is a seductive business model in an era of runaway inflation on almost everything else. But i n a world in climate crisis, how we choose to spend our money today has a direct impact on the lives of others. Buying cheap clothes that don't last is getting more and more difficult to justify. Meanwhile, the CCPC has also been busy bringing Irish-based retailers into line with sales pricing legislation. In the Dublin District Court on Monday, Boots Retail (Ireland) Limited pleaded guilty to breaking this legislation. The pharmacy and beauty chain was ordered by Judge Anthony Halpin to pay €1,000 to the Little Flower Penny Dinners charity and to pay the costs of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. Section 1 of the Probation of Offenders Act "is to be applied upon compliance with the court order". The prosecution was brought by the CCPC against Boots Ireland following online sweeps conducted over the 2023-2024 winter sales season, including Black Friday. CCPC chair Brian McHugh: 'Businesses need to be able to compete for consumers openly and honestly on price.' This case forms part of the first wave of prosecutions under sales pricing legislation introduced in 2022, after Lifestyle Sports, DID Electrical, and Rath-Wood also pleaded guilty to breaking the same legislation in March of this year. The law requires traders to base any discount on the lowest price in at least the previous 30 days, and to display this price clearly on any price tag or advertisement. Suppose, for example, a product is priced at €1,649 from December 23, 2024, to January 24, 2025. On January 25, 2025, until February 8, 2025, the price of the product is increased to €1,949. On February 9, 2025, the price is reduced to €1,579 with an indicated prior price of €1,949 in the price reduction announcement, despite the lowest price in the previous 30 days before this reduction being €1,649. If a trader increases the price of a product for a short period before immediately reducing the price back to its previous price, the trader can't use this briefly-increased price as the prior price in its price reduction announcement, as this is not the lowest price in at least the previous 30 days. Chairperson of the CCPC, Brian McHugh, pointed out that misleading sale discounts harm consumers and harm competition. 'Businesses need to be able to compete for consumers openly and honestly on price. Transparency around sales discounts allows consumers to make informed decisions about their purchases and to shop with confidence.'
