European Union: European Commission accepted AliExpress’s commitments under Digital Services Act and issued a preliminary finding that violates its obligation to assess and mitigate risks related to the dissemination of illegal products

On 18 June 2025, the European Commission issued preliminary findings regarding AliExpress's compliance with its obligations as a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) under the Digital Services Act (DSA) and accepted AliExpress’s commitments addressing several concerns. The commitments cover the platform’s monitoring and detection systems, its notice-and-action mechanism, internal complaint procedures, transparency in advertising and recommender systems, trader traceability, and data access for researchers. AliExpress will maintain an internal monitoring framework overseen by a dedicated team and will report regularly to an independent Monitoring Trustee, who will report annually to the Commission. These commitments ensure that both registered and non-registered users have better access to tools and information for limiting illegal content. The commitments are now enforceable under the DSA, and any breach would constitute a violation subject to potential fines. In parallel, the Commission’s preliminary investigation found that AliExpress breached its DSA obligations to assess and mitigate systemic risks. The platform was found to underestimate risks due to under-resourced moderation, to weakly enforce penalties against repeat offenders, and to operate flawed content moderation systems vulnerable to manipulation. These preliminary findings suggest that AliExpress is not meeting the Very Large Online Platforms under the DSA to properly assess and mitigate systemic risks related to the dissemination of illegal content, such as counterfeit goods or products that do not adhere to European safety standards. These findings do not represent the final outcome of the investigation, as AliExpress has the opportunity to respond in writing and examine the Commission's file. Should the preliminary view be confirmed, the Commission may adopt a non-compliance decision, potentially imposing a fine and requiring AliExpress to submit an approved action plan to rectify the infringement.