Commission fines AliExpress €550M for breaching the Digital Services Act

The justification for the fine is very arbitrary. The EU did not seem to evaluate the number of listings that Aliexpress blocked or removed promptly, the percentage of counterfeit listings versus total listings, or whether each listing in question was indeed for a counterfeit. I really wonder how many of the listings were duplicates or had no sales. I rarely see counterfeits on Aliexpress these days.

Note that the press release focuses on the number of Aliexpress users as an apparent reason for the investigation but there are is nothing quantifying the harm.

This is highly problematic and reeks of protectionism. The EU is basically saying, “We don’t care how much you brushed your teeth or how healthy they are, it looks like you still missed a few spots.”

I don’t see how a foreign company can ever win once the EU decides it doesn’t like you.