The EU on Tuesday, February 17, opened an investigation into the online retail giant Shein over the sale of childlike sex dolls and what it called the platform’s “addictive design.” Shein came under greater scrutiny in November after French authorities condemned the giant for featuring sex dolls resembling children.
The probe is the European Commission’s first into Shein under the Digital Services Act (DSA), the EU’s mammoth law that aims to counter the spread of illegal content and goods online. The European Commission said it was investigating the sale of illegal products “including child sexual abuse material” and would look at the “lack of transparency” of Shein’s recommender systems.
Shein, founded in China in 2012 but now based in Singapore, said it would continue to cooperate with the commission. “We share the commission’s objective of ensuring a safe and trusted online environment and will continue to engage constructively on this procedure,” Shein said in a statement. Following the uproar in France, Shein said it immediately removed the products and banned sex dolls from its site globally, regardless of appearance.
I’m definitely gonna be in the minority here looking at the comments, but this is rapidly approaching thought crime levels of regulation in my opinion. If they want to regulate sex dolls, show there is a correlation, prove that this is a pathway to extremism so to speak.
If this evidence already exists and I’m ignorant of it, please share, because I will happily change my stance.
Otherwise it really just feels like video games cause violence bullshit to me and reaks on senseless vilification. I’m pretty sure everyone has had thoughts that they’d never act on and repulse themselves for having, just as I’m sure many of you have watched videos or played video games depicting actions you would never participate in in reality. I really struggle to see this as problematic.