AliExpress’s failure to address certain risks is deemed “very dangerous for our consumers and unfair to compliant companies,” according to Virkkunen. This substantial fine is the third under the Digital Services Act, following a €200 million penalty for Temu two months prior. Virkkunen noted that Temu’s sanction was tied to inadequate checks for illegal products in Europe. The European Commission launched an investigation into AliExpress in March 2024 over potential DSA violations concerning transparency in advertising and recommender systems. Some issues were resolved with commitments made in June 2025.
The EU found AliExpress inadequate in evaluating staff capacity to review illegal products, with moderators having limited time per product, and noted flaws in its advertising and recommendation systems that facilitated illegal product dissemination. Compliance checks were easily bypassed through mis-categorization. AliExpress must present an “action plan” by October 20 or risk further penalties.
AliExpress criticized the fine as “disproportionate,” stating their ongoing commitment to fulfilling obligations with significant investments in risk assessment, product safety, and consumer protection. They are “carefully reviewing the decision and considering all available options.”
This article was updated to include a comment from AliExpress.
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