eBay initiated an internal review of its e-commerce platform's security measures after Reuters reported the availability of gender prediction kits that could be shipped to India. In India, the use of such kits is a criminal offense under the law aimed at combating female foeticide.
After Reuters notified eBay about nine listings on the platform offering gender testing kits, including products from the brands SneakPeek and Peekaboo, sold by third-party sellers with delivery to India, eBay decided to remove these listings.
In a statement addressed to Reuters, eBay stated that the listings violated both local regulations and the company's own policies. The company announced it is analyzing existing control mechanisms, including order and delivery processes, to determine the need for further system improvements.
eBay, one of the world's largest online platforms with 136 million active buyers globally, operates exclusively through third-party sellers. Although eBay does not have a local Indian site, it facilitates the delivery of goods to the country.
Previously, platforms like Amazon and eBay have drawn attention in India due to the listing of prohibited items, such as wild animals and e-cigarettes.
According to a Reuters review, the US Amazon website, which ships numerous items internationally to India, does indeed offer gender testing products, but it does not provide delivery services to India.
Indian Legislation
India's Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act of 1994 was enacted following a sharp decline in the number of baby girls per 1000 boys, which occurred after the proliferation of ultrasound technology. Human rights activists argue that this technology allowed parents to determine the fetus's sex early enough to terminate pregnancies of girls instead of raising a daughter.
The preference for sons is rooted in traditions of patrilineal inheritance, the expectation that sons will support their parents in old age, and dowry demands from the groom and his family, despite the long-standing prohibited practice.
Violation of the pre-natal sex determination law can result in imprisonment for up to three years, with harsher penalties for repeat offenses. The Ministry of Health of India did not respond to Reuters' inquiries regarding its findings.
The first listings on eBay were noticed by the cybersecurity firm FalconFeeds, which then informed Reuters. These listings offered gender testing kits in the price range of $6.99 to $156.59 with delivery to India.
One eBay listing offered the Peekaboo kit, manufactured by the American company DNA Diagnostics Center, and advertised on the site as 'find out your baby's sex at 6 weeks... accurate and easy to use' with 'FREE SHIPPING.' DNA Diagnostics Center told Reuters that it does not sell or distribute these kits for resale in India, and also emphasized that it does not control the actions of independent third parties after product purchase.
The company SneakPeek did not provide comment.
India Targets Google Search Results
In response to growing concern in New Delhi over such products, Peekaboo, although not officially sold in India, was specifically mentioned in two notifications from the Indian government dated August 9, sent to Google demanding the removal of search results linking to the company's website.
These notifications, analyzed by Reuters and sent by the Ministry of Health of India, indicated that Google India was providing 'misleading information' that directed users to webpages 'directly or indirectly promoting/advertising the sex determination of an unborn child.'
Search engines can typically block the display of certain website links in search results for users in a specific country. The ministry attached screenshots of three Google searches—'peekaboo test', 'buy peekaboo test online', and 'boy or girl'—which led to the Peekaboo website. The ministry demanded that Google cease this practice in accordance with Indian laws.
Reuters' investigation on Tuesday showed that these three queries still yielded links to the Peekaboo website. Google and the Ministry of Health of India did not respond to Reuters' requests.
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