eBay under fire for delivering gender-prediction kits to India
What's the story
eBay has launched an internal investigation after it was found that several gender-prediction kits were available for delivery to India, where their use is illegal. The issue was first reported by FalconFeeds, which discovered nine listings on the platform featuring these kits from brands like SneakPeek and Peekaboo. After being notified, eBay promptly removed the listings and confirmed they violated local regulations and company policies.
Company statement
eBay looking into its shipping and checkout processes
In a statement to Reuters, eBay said, "These listings violated local regulations and eBay's policies, and we are reviewing these controls."
The company is now looking into its shipping and checkout processes to see if more improvements are needed.
eBay has systems designed to stop certain gender-prediction products from being displayed in India. However, it does not have a dedicated Indian shopping website.
Legal framework
Why are such kits banned in India?
India's 1994 law on prenatal gender determination was enacted after the sex ratio at birth became skewed due to the use of ultrasound technology.
The law aims to prevent female foeticide, a practice rooted in cultural preferences for male children.
Violating this law can lead to imprisonment for up to three years and harsher penalties for repeat offenders.
Listing details
Kits priced between $6.99 and $156.59
The eBay listings offered gender-testing kits priced between $6.99 and $156.59 with delivery to India.
One such listing was for the Peekaboo kit from the US-based DNA Diagnostics Center, which was advertised as "get your baby's gender at 6 weeks... accurate and easy to use," with "FREE SHIPPING."
However, DNA Diagnostics Center clarified that it doesn't sell or distribute these kits for resale in India and doesn't control third-party actions after a product is purchased.
Government action
Peekaboo has been mentioned in notices sent to Google
Peekaboo, although not officially sold in India, has been mentioned in two notices sent to Google by India's health ministry. The notices sought the removal of search results linking to Peekaboo's website for violating Indian laws on gender prediction advertising.