After looting spree, France tells online resellers to crack down on traffic of stolen goods

The French government has demanded major online marketplaces, including Vinted and eBay, to eliminate listings of goods stolen during the recent looting across the country. Digital Affairs Minister Anne Le Hénanff issued a statement on X, urging these platforms to remove such listings immediately and collaborate with authorities to identify and prosecute those selling potentially stolen items.

She convened a meeting at 7 p.m. with representatives from Vinted, Amazon, eBay, Meta, TikTok, and the popular reselling platform Leboncoin. Minister for Small Businesses Serge Papin stated that officials are working on coordination between investigators and online platforms to identify and prosecute individuals behind suspicious listings.

A specific protocol is anticipated to be implemented, according to a government source. Vinted France confirmed their zero-tolerance policy towards selling stolen goods, stating they have taken immediate action to remove such listings and are intensifying their monitoring of suspicious listings. The discussions with the reselling websites are likely to address broader questions about platform responsibility and the monitoring of illicit trade within the EU’s digital marketplace.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has ordered partial curfews to discourage further looting and rioting. A special support fund will be established to assist the approximately 3,000 local businesses impacted by the weekend's unrest.