The US government is strictly investigating the recall of defective products! Amazon platform supervision may be tightened!

It is learned that according to foreign media reports, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee (E&C) recently sent letters to Amazon, eBay, Meta, Walmart and other online shopping portals, asking them about their efforts to prevent sellers from selling recalled and banned goods on their platforms.

E&C said Meta failed to prevent sellers from selling two recalled children's products, the Fisher-Price Infant Bouncer and the Boppy Infant Lounger, on its Facebook Marketplace.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced a recall of Fisher-Price baby bouncers in 2019 and Boppy baby loungers in 2021. However, the rate of takedown requests for both products (an average of 1,000 per month) has been growing, which means that major online platforms have not taken any active measures to prevent sales.

About 100 infant deaths have been linked to Isher-Price baby swings in the U.S., and members of Congress, including E&C Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, are concerned that online platforms are doing too little to stop sales and are causing harm to children and users.

The E&C asked all platforms to detail their current efforts to prevent the sale of recalled products, including whether they have dedicated staff. Politicians also want to know what the platforms will do in the future and whether there are any legal uncertainties about how to resolve these issues. The E&C asked online platforms such as Amazon whether they are willing to cooperate with the Commission to resolve the issues and to respond by August 31.

In response to E&C's allegations, a Meta spokesperson said it takes the issue seriously and removes listings that violate its rules. An eBay spokesperson said it takes recalls very seriously and uses a combination of artificial intelligence and investigators to find potentially unsafe products. eBay also said it hopes to cooperate with the House committee on these issues.

Amazon has not yet responded.

It is worth noting that the review comes at a time when Amazon is facing an antitrust lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission and the behavior of technology giants is under closer scrutiny. To this end, Meta has also scaled back some shopping features, including shutting down live shopping features on Facebook and Instagram.

Editor ✎ Nicole/

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