France’s youngster safety company chief Sarah El Hairy has requested the regulator to examine second-hand garments market Vinted for failing to forestall minors accessing grownup content material, in one other transfer in opposition to e-commerce giants within the nation.
El Hairy requested TV and web regulator Arcom to probe Vinted after discovering some categorized advertisements on the platform allegedly redirected all customers, even underage ones, to web sites with pornographic content material, she mentioned in an interview on French TV channel France 3 on Sunday.
“Where there are children or teenagers, there are predators, and what they did this time is to use sales of ordinary objects to direct (users) towards pornographic sites,” she mentioned.
Vinted and Arcom didn’t instantly reply to emails searching for remark.
France is cracking down broadly on giant international e-commerce leaders in an try to defend native retailers.
Many of those really feel threatened by what they see as unfair competitors from cheaper and better-marketed merchandise on their very own turf by giant platforms from China corresponding to AliExpress, Temu or Shein, or from the US corresponding to eBay or Amazon.
A shopper watchdog opened investigations in opposition to 5 such platforms for violating guidelines on promoting illicit merchandise on-line a couple of days after Shein opened its first bodily retailer in Paris.
The French crackdown echoes comparable EU initiatives such because the Thursday choice to deliver ahead by one 12 months customs duties on low-value parcels arriving within the bloc in an effort to decelerate the move of products from China.
By Alessandro Parodi
Learn extra:
France Ramps Up Pressure on EU to Investigate Shein Over Sex Dolls, Weapons
France is urging the European Union to formally examine the quick trend large, citing breaches of European guidelines and the Digital Services Act.