The fear: after Vinted, Etsy and Leboncoin let pornographic content circulate without any control

Our colleagues from France 2 have brought to light a well-oiled mechanism. On Leboncoin, a saleswoman ostensibly offered dresses, but in reality redirected to paid pornographic content, directly on the platform. The ad was removed after journalists contacted it. On Etsy, a site specializing in crafts and dropshipping, the investigation discovered images of young naked girls generated by artificial intelligence, which journalists describe as content that could be considered child pornography.

Vinted, Etsy and Leboncoin in turmoil after the discovery of pornographic content

This new wave of revelations comes 48 hours after the first alerts concerning Vinted. The second-hand site, which claims more than 23 million registered members in France, had been highlighted by the media The Informed. The mechanism is similar: under the guise of innocuous sales of swimsuits or lingerie, certain sellers redirect to encrypted messaging services such as Telegram, where they then offer pornographic content against payment. Arcom has, moreover, been seized of the matter.

The High Commissioner’s entourage was categorical to theAFP : “Whether on Etsy, on Leboncoin or elsewhere, platforms cannot turn a blind eye when advertisements allow, against payment, access to pornographic content. As soon as a risk of contact between minors and pornography exists, the alert must be immediate, the reaction must be total.”

The question of responsibility

At the time when age verification on porn sites becomes a legal obligation in several European countries, the question of the responsibility of online sales platforms is becoming increasingly acute. On franceinfoMonday morning, Sarah El Haïry pointed the finger at Vinted: “Vinted makes money with their ads so they have a direct responsibility. When you are a platform as big, as important and as family-friendly as Vinted, you have responsibility for the ads that are on your site.” She insisted that parents let their children access these platforms with confidence.

The legal framework exists, however. Since 2024, French law has required sites hosting pornography to verify the age of Internet users, under penalty of sanctions which could include blocking. Vinted indicates in its conditions of use that it is intended for people over 18, but no age verification device actually filters access. Benoit Loutrel, member of the Arcom college, summarized the situation with TF1: “The law is clear, porn is legal for adults, illegal for minors.”

Arcom has already contacted its Lithuanian counterpart, where Vinted’s headquarters are located, responsible for supervising the platform’s obligations under the European regulation on digital services. Contacted by theAFPVinted assured that it has a “zero tolerance policy” regarding these practices and takes “these situations very seriously”. The company claims to have “proactive detection tools to identify suspicious behavior” and encourages reporting.

The fact remains that for Sarah El Haïry, the argument does not hold up. “Today, there are digital tools, IT tools and above all legal responsibilities which mean that when we are a power as important as a platform with millions of users, we have the responsibility to track down what is on it”she said. On X last Friday, she had already warned: “The protection of children online cannot suffer from any loopholes.”

Want to save even more? Discover our promo codes selected for you.