True or false. Is it possible to ban Shein access in France?

Shein is in the sights of politicians after the discovery on its site of child pornography sex dolls. Several elected officials and associations are calling for its ban from the French market.

Shein soon banned in France? This is the warning launched, Monday, November 3, by the Minister of the Economy on RMC and BFMT TV. “If these behaviors are repeated, we will not have the right and I will ask that access to the Shein platform be banned from the French market. It’s in the law, this law, we voted for it“, launched Roland Lescure after the discovery of child pornography sex dolls, for sale on the Chinese platform.

In theory, it is possible. France can block access to our market for Shein, based on the so-called “LCEN” law. It is this text, voted in 2004pour “confidence in the digital economy“which aims to protect consumers, in particular from the apology of terrorism, but also from images”sexual exploitation of minors“, which the minister mentioned. The sale of sex dolls, of a child pornography nature, is therefore illegal. It is the proven repeated case of the facts which is punished.

Shein therefore has 24 hours to remove these illicit items from its catalog. Otherwise, the administrative authority can seize both search engines and internet service providers. Require, for example, Google, Free, Orange or even SFR to block and dereference its distribution sites.

This is not a first, the case has already happened. The director of the observatory of the E-Enfance association confirms that this is common. For acts of apology for terrorism, in particular, sites are regularly closed. A sales platform was also banned: WISH in 2021, for more than a year.

The fraud prevention investigation highlighted the dangerousness and non-compliance of the products which were passed on.

Despite “cleaning” during these resale platforms, nothing says that these products will not reappear soon. Vigilance must be daily because Shein is not the only one to offer these dolls. Radio France’s verification agency found them in just a few clicks on: Ebay, Vinted, AlixExpress, on online sex shops, to name a few.

Moreover, and Roland Lescure himself recognized this, France is helpless when it comes to the means of circumventing the bans. Thanks to VPNs, these tools which allow you to geolocate abroad, it is possible to connect to countries where these child criminal products are accessible. Please note, however, that their detention remains punishable by the penal code, fine of 75,000 euros and five years of imprisonment.