Asian Tech Press (Nov 7) -- The European Commission on Monday ordered Alibaba Group's international marketplace AliExpress to provide information about illegal products such as counterfeit goods and fake medicines sold on its platform.

The EU executive said it had sent AliExpress a request for information under the EU's newly adopted Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires big tech companies to do more to combat illegal and harmful content on their platforms.

The European Commission said it needs to know what steps AliExpress has taken to comply with the DSA rules and to combat the online distribution and sale of illegal products such as fake medicines.

AliExpress must provide the requested information by Nov. 27, after which the commission will assess its next steps, the regulator noted.

In recent weeks, EU industry chief Thierry Breton has sent similar requests for information to Elon Musk's social platform X, Meta Platforms and TikTok, asking what the companies are doing to combat the spread of disinformation.

On Monday, Breton told TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew that TikTok must "spare no effort" to combat the spread of disinformation on the short video application as the European Union ramps up its regulatory efforts.

Breton said the TikTok had undergone some changes in the past few months, with new features to protect users and investments in content moderation and trust and safety.

Caroline Greer, director of public policy and government relations at TikTok, said in a post on X, "Pleased that TikTok's efforts to comply with the DSA and keep our community safe are being recognised."

Xhew is scheduled to meet with EU commissioners Vera Jourova and Didier Reynders in Brussels to discuss issues including data protection in Brussels on Tuesday.