Temu agrees to tackle illegal goods under four-month EU deadline

Online marketplace Temu has agreed to measures aimed at reducing illegal goods sold on its platform. On 26 October, the European Commission said it had accepted Temu’s five-measure plan and set a four-month deadline for an interim risk assessment.

The Commission fined Temu €200 million in May for not doing enough to stop sales of illegal products. The case concerns the European Union’s Digital Services Act, an EU law.

The EU found baby pacifiers that posed a choking hazard, clothing and jewellery containing cancer-causing chemicals, and electrical chargers that failed basic safety tests on Temu, the Guardian said.

What Temu must assess

A spokesperson for Temu, which is owned by PDD Holdings, welcomed the approval, Reuters said in a report published by CNA. The spokesperson said the plan requires Temu to assess possible shortcomings in its content moderation system—the system for reviewing material on the platform—among other steps.

Temu was warned that it would face repeated fines if it failed to take the required action.

Temu also plans a six-month assessment of product risks and a review of how effectively its measures stop illegal sales. That planned assessment is distinct from the interim risk assessment due within four months under the approved plan.