By Hugo Lhomedet, Maria Rugamer and Helen Reid
(Reuters) -Alibaba’s AliExpress said it has banned a China-based seller of childlike sex dolls from its marketplace after a Reuters examination of whether the sale of the products complied with European Union and U.S. laws.
Reuters first alerted AliExpress to the listings on November 14, when the company said it would remove them as a precaution but that the dolls did not breach its policies because they were of rigid construction with no sexual function.
However, in a subsequent statement to Reuters on November 25, AliExpress said it had “decided to permanently close down this seller because of their dishonesty on this serious matter”.
Reuters identified four listings of dolls resembling minors that were on sale in Europe and the United States through AliExpress in the week after Paris prosecutors said both it and online retailer Shein were being investigated for disseminating images or representations of minors of a pornographic nature.
In interviews, four lawyers said the images found by Reuters on AliExpress included features commonly associated with child sexualisation, including school uniforms and infantile expressions.
The products were offered by Guava Dolls, whose seller page on the AliExpress marketplace showed it as being based in China’s Shandong province.
Guava Dolls did not respond to multiple requests for comment made via email and social media.
“We discovered the seller was dishonest in their communications with us. The seller repeatedly denied ever selling sex toys on any platform,” AliExpress said.
AliExpress said the seller had admitted, after being confronted with screenshots sent by Reuters, that it accepted customised orders on other platforms and as a result had been permanently closed down.
HEIGHTENED REGULATORY OBLIGATIONS IN EUROPE
AliExpress, Shein and Temu face heightened regulatory obligations under Europe’s Digital Services Act (DSA) because of their designation as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs).
A European Commission spokesperson told Reuters it was “carefully monitoring AliExpress’ compliance with the DSA”.
AliExpress told Reuters that in future it would further involve third parties to help monitor its platform.
The French investigation was triggered by a consumer watchdog spotting childlike sex dolls on Shein’s marketplace.
AliExpress told Reuters after the probe was announced on November 4 that it had removed similar listings and that sellers who violated its policies would be penalised.
Shein said it had sanctioned the sellers of the dolls, implemented a worldwide ban on sex dolls on its site and temporarily suspended its marketplace in France.
Under its rules, AliExpress says content must not be sexually explicit or harmful to minors, and its listing policies ban “any items depicting or suggestive of sex involving minors”.
It had initially said that the products were “anime dolls” aimed at fans of Japanese animation rather than sex dolls.
Guava Dolls’ account on X has been posting sexually explicit photos of the dolls since 2023, with links to AliExpress.
AliExpress declined to comment on those links.
In some European countries, including France, Germany and Britain, selling or facilitating access to childlike suggestive dolls is deemed illegal, irrespective of their functionality.
National consumer protection bodies often classify such items as akin to images of sexual abuse under child protection laws.
The lawyers shown the listings on AliExpress by Reuters said they breached national and EU rules.
“The doll’s size, its very clear sexual characteristics and suggestive lingerie make it a sexual object rather than a toy,” said Christine Cerrada, a lawyer and legal adviser for French child protection group L’Enfance au Coeur.
The dolls were listed for sale in EU countries including France, Spain and Italy, as well as the U.S. and Britain.
Europe’s DSA requires online consumer marketplaces to undertake due diligence on products being sold on their platforms and to remove or block access if they become aware of illegal content.
L’Enfance au Coeur’s Cerrada said the dolls emphasised characteristics that would classify them as inappropriate and likely unlawful under the DSA, which was introduced in 2022 with the aim of preventing illegal and harmful activities online.
EU LAWMAKERS TO VOTE ON STRENGTHENING ONLINE RULES
EU lawmakers debated whether the DSA “effectively prevents the sale of such illegal products” on November 12 and are due to vote on a resolution to strengthen online safety rules on November 26.
The resolution is expected to call on the Commission and EU member states to step up checks on products entering the bloc, according to the European Parliament’s website.
U.S. regulation of childlike sex dolls is governed by state laws. Congressional and state filings show Arizona, Utah, Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Hawaii, Louisiana and Wisconsin are among the states enacting legislation targeting their sale, import or possession.
(Reporting by Hugo Lhomedet and Maria Rugamer in Gdansk and Helen Reid in London; Editing by Matt Scuffham and Alexander Smith)
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