Latest news with #EUregulators
Malay Mail
14 hours ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
Temu under EU fire for ‘high risk' illegal goods, faces probe under sweeping digital law
BRUSSELS, July 29 — The European Union accused Chinese-founded online shopping giant Temu on Monday of breaking the bloc's digital rules by not 'properly' assessing the risks of illegal products. EU regulators believe Temu is not doing enough to protect European consumers from dangerous products and that it may not be acting sufficiently to mitigate risks to users. 'Evidence showed that there is a high risk for consumers in the EU to encounter illegal products on the platform,' the European Commission said in its preliminary finding. It pointed to a mystery shopping exercise that found consumers were 'very likely to find non-compliant products among the offer, such as baby toys and small electronics'. Temu said only it would 'continue to cooperate fully with the commission'. Wildly popular in the European Union despite only having entered the continent's market in 2023, Temu has 93.7 million average monthly active users in the 27-country bloc. The EU said Temu's October 2024 risk assessment was 'inaccurate and relying on general industry information rather than on specific details about its own marketplace'. Temu is under investigation as part of a mammoth law known as the Digital Services Act (DSA) that forces the world's largest tech firms to do more to protect European consumers online and better police content online. Temu will now be able to respond to the EU regulators' findings and defend itself, but there is no time limit on how long an investigation may last. If confirmed to be in breach, the EU can slap a fine on Temu. Fines under the DSA can go as high as six per cent of a company's total worldwide annual turnover and force it to make changes to address violations. Launched in October, the EU probe continues to investigate other suspected breaches including the use of addictive design features that could hurt users' physical and mental well-being and how Temu's systems recommend content and products. EU law under attack The DSA is part of the EU's reinforced legal weaponry to curb the excesses of Big Tech, with stricter rules for the world's biggest platforms. It has faced criticism from the US administration under President Donald Trump. The Republican-dominated judiciary committee of the US House of Representatives described the DSA in a scathing report as a 'foreign censorship threat' on Friday. Staunch President Donald Trump ally Jim Jordan, committee chair, met EU tech sovereignty chief Henna Virkkunen in Brussels as part of a bipartisan delegation on Monday. 'We had a constructive discussion on how to promote digital innovation, AI and regulate this field smartly,' she said on X after the meeting. There are currently other DSA probes into Chinese online retailer AliExpress, social media platforms Facebook and Instagram and X as well as TikTok. The EU also wants to crack down on cheap packages that flood into the bloc each year, with a proposal under discussion for a two-euro flat fee per parcel. Last year, 4.6 billion such packages entered the EU — more than 145 per second — with 91 per cent originating in China. The EU expects the numbers to increase. — AFP
France 24
a day ago
- Business
- France 24
EU accuses online giant Temu over sale of 'illegal' products
EU regulators believe Temu is not doing enough to protect European consumers from dangerous products and that it may not be acting sufficiently to mitigate risks to users. "Evidence showed that there is a high risk for consumers in the EU to encounter illegal products on the platform," the European Commission said in its preliminary finding. It pointed to a mystery shopping exercise that found consumers were "very likely to find non-compliant products among the offer, such as baby toys and small electronics". Temu said only it would "continue to cooperate fully with the commission". Wildly popular in the European Union despite only having entered the continent's market in 2023, Temu has 93.7 million average monthly active users in the 27-country bloc. The EU said Temu's October 2024 risk assessment was "inaccurate and relying on general industry information rather than on specific details about its own marketplace". Temu is under investigation as part of a mammoth law known as the Digital Services Act (DSA) that forces the world's largest tech firms to do more to protect European consumers online and better police content online. Temu will now be able to respond to the EU regulators' findings and defend itself, but there is no time limit on how long an investigation may last. If confirmed to be in breach, the EU can slap a fine on Temu. Fines under the DSA can go as high as six percent of a company's total worldwide annual turnover and force it to make changes to address violations. Launched in October, the EU probe continues to investigate other suspected breaches including the use of addictive design features that could hurt users' physical and mental well-being and how Temu's systems recommend content and products. EU law under attack The DSA is part of the EU's reinforced legal weaponry to curb the excesses of Big Tech, with stricter rules for the world's biggest platforms. It has faced criticism from the US administration under President Donald Trump. The Republican-dominated judiciary committee of the US House of Representatives described the DSA in a scathing report as a "foreign censorship threat" on Friday. Staunch President Donald Trump ally Jim Jordan, committee chair, met EU tech sovereignty chief Henna Virkkunen in Brussels as part of a bipartisan delegation on Monday. "We had a constructive discussion on how to promote digital innovation, AI and regulate this field smartly," she said on X after the meeting. There are currently other DSA probes into Chinese online retailer AliExpress, social media platforms Facebook and Instagram and X as well as TikTok. The EU also wants to crack down on cheap packages that flood into the bloc each year, with a proposal under discussion for a two-euro flat fee per parcel. Last year, 4.6 billion such packages entered the EU -- more than 145 per second -- with 91 percent originating in China. The EU expects the numbers to increase.
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Temu Accused by eu Regulators of Failing to Prevent Sale of Illegal Products
Chinese online retailer Temu was accused by European Union watchdogs on Monday of failing to prevent the sale of illegal products on its platform. The preliminary findings follow an investigation opened last year under the bloc's Digital Services Act. It's 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 cooperate fully with the Commission. The commission didn't 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.' Temu has grown in popularity by offering cheap goods–from clothing to home products–shipped from sellers in China. The company, owned by Pinduoduo Inc., 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 percent of a company's annual global revenue and an order to fix the problems.
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
EU accuses online giant Temu of selling ‘illegal' items
The European Union accused Chinese-founded online shopping giant Temu on Monday of breaking the bloc's digital rules by not 'properly' assessing the risks of illegal products. EU regulators believe Temu is not doing enough to protect European consumers from dangerous products and that it may not be acting sufficiently to mitigate risks to users. 'Evidence showed that there is a high risk for consumers in the EU to encounter illegal products on the platform,' the European Commission said in its preliminary finding. It pointed to a mystery shopping exercise that found consumers were 'very likely to find non-compliant products among the offer, such as baby toys and small electronics.' Wildly popular in the European Union despite only having entered the continent's market in 2023, Temu has 93.7 million average monthly active users in the 27-country bloc. The EU said Temu's October 2024 risk assessment was 'inaccurate and relying on general industry information rather than on specific details about its own marketplace.' Temu is under investigation as part of a mammoth law known as the Digital Services Act (DSA) that forces the world's largest tech firms to do more to protect European consumers online and better police content online. Temu will now be able to respond to the EU regulators' findings and defend itself, but there is no time limit on how long an investigation may last. If confirmed to be in breach, the EU can slap a fine on Temu. Fines under the DSA can go as high as six percent of a company's total worldwide annual turnover and force it to make changes to address violations. Launched in October, the EU probe continues to investigate other suspected breaches including the use of addictive design features that could hurt users' physical and mental well-being and how Temu's systems recommend content and products. EU law is under attack The DSA is part of the EU's reinforced legal weaponry to curb the excesses of Big Tech, with stricter rules for the world's biggest platforms. It has faced criticism from the US administration under President Donald Trump. The Republican-dominated judiciary committee of the US House of Representatives described the DSA in a scathing report as a 'foreign censorship threat' on Friday. Staunch President Donald Trump ally Jim Jordan, committee chair, will meet EU tech sovereignty chief Henna Virkkunen in Brussels on Monday. There are currently other DSA probes into Chinese online retailer AliExpress, social media platforms Facebook and Instagram and X as well as TikTok. The EU also wants to crack down on cheap packages that flood into the bloc each year, with a proposal under discussion for a two-euro flat fee per parcel. Last year, 4.6 billion such packages entered the EU -- more than 145 per second -- with 91 percent originating in China. The EU expects the numbers to increase.
Reuters
5 days ago
- Health
- Reuters
GSK's blood cancer drug gets EU approval
July 24 (Reuters) - The European Union has approved GSK's (GSK.L), opens new tab drug Blenrep to treat relapsed or treatment-resistant forms of a cancer affecting blood plasma cells, the British drugmaker said on Thursday. EU regulators approved Blenrep after phase III trials showed the drug, when used in combination with standard treatments, extended progression-free survival and improved overall survival in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, GSK said. The approval comes a day after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration extended its review of the drug as a combination treatment for the same illness. The FDA's panel of independent experts had last week recommended against the drug, citing concerns about previously documented risks of eye-related side effects. The EU approval marks the sixth regulatory nod for Blenrep combinations, with applications still under review across all major markets. The drug delivers a cell-killing agent directly to tumour cells while limiting damage to healthy tissue — unlike conventional chemotherapy. Multiple myeloma is the third most common blood cancer globally and is generally considered treatable but not curable. It affects the immunity-boosting plasma white blood cells.
