
252 baby product listings removed from online marketplaces
The EU-wide online sweep was carried out under new product safety laws and it uncovered widespread safety and compliance issues, according to the CCPC.
In total, 1,741 listings on 47 marketplaces were targeted during April and May - including Amazon, Shein, Etsy, eBay, Temu and Zalando.
72 (29%) of the 252 removal orders were issued by the CCPC.
The listings were deemed to have failed to meet minimum safety and compliance information requirements or featured products that had already been recalled from the market.
Listings for products such as baby carriers, slings and baby walkers were among those removed.
Officers analysed the listings for compliance with minimum product safety information rules, which require clear details of the manufacturer and EU responsible person to be displayed.
The CCPC said this information is crucial for the protection of babies and children from dangerous or faulty products.
Commenting on the sweep, Chair of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission Brian McHugh said: "Many parents turn to online marketplaces for convenience when buying baby products, and they deserve to know that the item is safe".
"Our product safety officers issue recalls for tens of thousands of items every year and traceability is critically important. Online marketplaces have a duty to be transparent about what they're selling and provide contact details in the event a product is unsafe".
"We're pleased that the online marketplaces co-operated when we contacted them, and the listings were taken down promptly. The work of our officers, in collaboration with colleagues across EU, has stopped hundreds of potentially unsafe products being offered for sale to Irish consumers," he added.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Sunday World
22 minutes ago
- Sunday World
Irish regulator says X has introduced age verification for adult content
Elon Musk's social media platform hasn't yet provided details of the measures in place but it has implemented an age-check system based on users' email and contacts books in the UK Elon Musk's X has begun applying some age verification controls on its adult content, according to the Irish media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán. The platform, which recently added an adult content mode for its child-accessible AI assistant, was warned last week by the regulator that no evidence of measures to comply with newly-enforced age assurance requirements were visible and that the platform faced imminent 'action'. Companies that do not comply with the Online Safety Code face fines of up to up to 10pc of annual turnover. However, the regulator today told the Irish Independent that it has now received an update from Elon Musk's firm about some age assurance steps. 'Coimisiún na Meán contacted X last week in relation to the measures they are taking to comply with Part B of the Online Safety Code, including age assurance and parental controls,' a spokesperson said. 'X replied on Friday with information about the measures they have taken and we note that users are now seeing these measures in effect when using the service. We will assess whether these measures, and those taken by other platforms, are sufficient to comply with the Online Safety Code as part of our on-going supervision of platforms' compliance with the Code and the other parts of our Online Safety Framework.' The regulator has not said what the measures in question are. However, X has implemented a limited age-verification system in the UK that checks a user's email and contacts book for evidence of typical adult interaction and connections. The company has done so in response to similar age assurance laws that came into effect in that country. X has not commented on its age verification measures in Ireland, although a spokesperson told the Irish Independent last week that 'the safety of any children on our platform is a top priority' at the company. 'We are fully committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations, including the Irish Online Safety Code and we are prioritising its implementation on X,' the spokesperson said. Separately, YouTube has widened age verification controls after lapses pointed out by an Irish Independent investigation. Depictions of torture and extreme violence from over-18s films have now been blocked for users that have not provided some verification of their age. Of the platforms headquartered in Ireland and under specific control by the Irish regulator, X is the only social media service to allow pornography. Last week, X added a pornographic mode to its general AI assistant, Grok, which is available to 12 year old children in the two main smartphone and tablet app stores The new adult-themed AI assistant, 'Ani', features a cartoon animé woman in lingerie that engages in explicit sexual dialogue with users, including themes of bondage, submission and other extreme acts. X's adult chatbot Ani Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 28th


Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
'Devil is in the detail' of tariff agreement with US
A tariff rate of 15 per cent is 'challenging' but avoids a rate of 30 per cent – which would have 'closed the market' in the US, Ireland's enterprise minister has said. Peter Burke said that the EU-US deal avoids both a trade war and EU counter-measures, which would have had an effect on the north-south economy. He said 'the devil is in the detail' of the trade agreement finalised on Sunday by Donald Trump and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland. 'We had a lot of modelling carried out on the various different options, and some were very perverse, that would have closed the market if you had over a 30 per cent tariff with a stacking mechanism,' Mr Burke told RTÉ Radio. 'The key thing is that there will be a number of carve outs. Obviously, aviation has been cited as zero-for-zero, but also in relation to agrifoods and potentially spirits.' Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke (Image: Collins) The bloc is set to face 15 per cent tariffs on most of its goods, including cars, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals entering the US and 'zero for zero' tariffs on a number of products, including aircraft, some agricultural goods and certain chemicals – as well as EU purchases of US energy worth $750 billion over three years. Mr Burke said it was his understanding that the 15 per cent tariff on the pharmaceutical sector would be a maximum rate. He added: 'I think the president of the Commission has been very clear that 15 per cent will be a ceiling.' It is still unclear from the deal, agreed five days before Mr Trump's threat of a 30 per cent tariff would have come into effect, will mean Ireland will need to invest in US energy, he added. 'This all has to be worked out yet, as you can appreciate, I'm only hearing this for the first time last night, and we have nothing on paper.' Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris welcomed the agreement struck on Sunday, saying that while Ireland 'regrets' the baseline tariff of 15 per cent, it welcomed the certainty for businesses. Mr Harris said further detail was needed around how tariffs would affect sectors including pharmaceuticals. Ireland remains vulnerable to a slow down in trade with the US economy, due to exports of products such as alcohol, dairy and beef. The Irish government has also expressed concern at how tariffs could affect pharma multinationals based in Ireland, which employs about 45,000 people here, as Mr Trump had signalled he intended to target that industry. In addition, 65 per cent of all aircraft are leased through Ireland globally. Business group Ibec said although the uncertainty may be dissipating, the agreement was 'punishing' for Europe. The group's chief executive Danny McCoy said 'Europe has capitulated on this' and 15 per cent is 'very substantial'. 'I don't think it's a great deal if I'm really honest,' Simon McKeever, of the Irish Exporters Association, said. He said the deal was not a good one for Irish businesses and said the EU was negotiating with 'one if not two hands tied behind our backs' because of the EU's reliance on the US in relation to defence and security. He said questions remained about the effect it would have on Northern Ireland given the UK had a lower tariff of 10 per cent in place. 'There's a huge amount of this that is extremely uncertain,' he said. Last week, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said the Irish government would spend €9.4 billion on its budget in October, based on a zero-tariff scenario for next year. He and Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers said these estimates would need to be revised if there was a shock to the Irish economy. Mr Burke said it was not naive to base the government's economic scenario on a zero-for-zero trade agreement with the US. 'No it wasn't because we didn't know what we were to be faced with,' he said on Monday. 'We do need to find out what happens in other areas, because this is very complex. 'It depends what happens with China, that's a very significant market that a deal hasn't happened yet. 'It really impacts what happens with our exporters here in Ireland as well, because so much product is in danger of being redirected into EU market. 'We also don't know what separate carve outs are going to emerge for the different sectors that are so vulnerable from an Irish perspective. 'Until we get flesh on the bones and all those areas over the coming weeks, we'll be in a better position then to really put forward what budgetary parameters (we) will end up with.' Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week


Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Temu accused by EU regulators of failing to prevent sale of illegal products
The preliminary findings follow an investigation opened last year under the bloc's Digital Services Act (DSA). It is a wide-ranging rulebook that requires online platforms to do more to keep internet users safe, with the threat of hefty fines. The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc's executive branch, said its investigation found 'a high risk for consumers in the EU to encounter illegal products' on Temu's site. Investigators carried out a 'mystery shopping exercise' that found 'non-compliant' products on Temu, including baby toys and small electronics, it said. Temu said in a brief statement that it 'will continue to co-operate fully with the commission'. The commission did not specify why exactly the products were illegal, but noted that a surge in online sales in the bloc also came with a parallel rise in unsafe or counterfeit goods. EU regulators said when they opened the investigation that they would look into whether Temu was doing enough to crack down on 'rogue traders' selling 'non-compliant goods' amid concerns that they are able to swiftly reappear after being suspended. In its preliminary findings, the commission found that Temu could have had 'inadequate mitigation measures' because the company was using an 'inaccurate' risk assessment that relied on general industry information, rather than specifics about its own marketplace. 'We shop online because we trust that products sold in our single market are safe and comply with our rules,' Henna Virkkunen, the EU's executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, said in a news release. 'In our preliminary view, Temu is far from assessing risks for its users at the standards required by the Digital Services Act.' ADVERTISEMENT Temu has grown in popularity by offering cheap goods – from clothing to home products – shipped from sellers in China. The company, owned by Pinduoduo, a popular e-commerce site in China, has 92 million users in the EU. The company will have the chance to examine the commission's investigation files and respond to the accusations before the EU watchdogs make a final decision. Violations of the DSA could result in fines of up to 6% of a company's annual global revenue and an order to fix the problems.