AliExpress hit with record $629 million fine for selling counterfeit and illegal products - Engadget

Investigators found millions of counterfeit products, unsafe toys and dangerous cosmetics. The European Commission (EC) hit Chinese e-commerce giant AliExpress with a record €550 million ($629 million) fine for allowing the sale of counterfeit and harmful products in the bloc. "The spread of counterfeit clothing, unsafe toys, dangerous cosmetics and other illegal and harmful products... is a failure by AliExpress to comply with its obligations under the Digital Services Act [DSA]," said EC's Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy Henna Virkkunen in a press release. The fine is the largest ever imposed under the DSA, which requires large platforms like AliExpress (owned by China's Alibaba) to police the spread of illegal and unsafe products and services. That lack of diligence "is very dangerous for our consumers, but it's also unfair for those companies that are complying with all our rules," Virkkunen added. The EC opened an investigation into AliExpress in March 2024 over suspected breaches to the DSA, including the platform's advertising and recommendation systems. Investigators found "millions" of counterfeit products, unsafe toys and dangerous co