Key point: Temu must pay €200 million because the company’s risk assessment does not meet DSA standards and illegal products such as unsafe chargers and toys have been distributed uncontrolled on the platform.
The European Commission has fined Temu €200 million for failing to fulfil its risk assessment obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA). Temu failed to systematically identify illegal products on its platform and to adequately assess their impact on EU consumers.
According to the European Commission, Temu did not conduct its risk assessment in 2024 in accordance with the Digital Services Act requirements. The risk analysis was based on generic information about the eCommerce sector as a whole, rather than on specific data about Temu’s own platform and publicly available reports and tests.
Mystery shopping investigations conducted as part of the Commission’s investigation revealed a significant extent of unsafe products: a very high percentage of the tested chargers failed basic safety tests; a high proportion of toys presented medium to high safety risks, such as through chemicals exceeding statutory safety limits or through choking hazards from detachable parts. Overall, it can be assumed that EU consumers will encounter illegal items on Temu with very high probability.
Temu also failed to adequately assess how the design of its platform – in particular its recommendation systems and product promotion programmes through affiliated influencers – amplified the distribution of illegal products. This is relevant for Chief Data and Compliance Officers, as it demonstrates that platform operators cannot rely solely on rigid checklists in their risk analysis, but must examine the systemic amplification mechanisms of their service architecture.
The fine underscores that the Commission is stepping up enforcement of the DSA against major online platforms. For companies in the data-driven economy, this means: risk assessments must be based on data relating to their own platform usage and actual incidents of harm, not on the basis of industry studies. Algorithms and incentive mechanisms are subject to the same oversight as moderation practices.
Source: digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu · Published 28 May 2026
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