Online retailer Shein is latest to face strict European Union digital regulations

A view of a Shein pop-up store at a mall in Singapore April 4, 2024. Shein is a low-cost online retailer that was founded in China but is now based in Singapore. It reaches customers mainly through its app. — Reuters

LONDON: Online fast-fashion retailer Shein must face the European Union’s strictest level of digital regulations, the bloc said on April 26 as it added the company to its list of big platforms that need extra scrutiny.

The EU’s Executive Commission said it formally classed Shein as a “very large online platform” under the 27-nation bloc's Digital Services Act, an expansive rulebook designed to clean up online platforms and keep Internet users safe.