The EU Commission has sent requests to Chinese fast fashion giants Temu and Shein, for information on how they are complying with EU online content rules. The request comes following complaints by a number of consumer bodies.

Both Shein and Temu are designated ‘Very Large Online Platforms’ owing to their large number of users in the EU. This subjects the companies to more stringent requirements under the Digital Services Act including the tackling of illegal and harmful content on their platforms. They must assess “systemic risks” such as counterfeit goods, illegal products, and items that infringe on intellectual property rights.

The requests from the Commission must be responded to by July 12th and questions include how the companies allow users to notify them of illegal products, how they manage their online interfaces, as well as the details of how they protect minors. Other questions focus on the traceability of traders.

Breaches of the Digital Services Act can result in fines of as much as 6% of global revenue.

Both Shein and Temu have over 45 million monthly users in the European Union. According to a report by Reuters, both companies have agreed to co-operate with the requests.