BENGALURU [BE Special Report]: eBay is reviewing its safeguards after gender-prediction kits were found available for delivery to India, where prenatal sex determination is prohibited under a law aimed at preventing female foeticide.
The online marketplace removed nine listings after being alerted to the products, which included kits sold under brands such as SneakPeek and Peekaboo by independent third-party sellers.
The company said the listings breached both Indian regulations and its own policies. It is now examining its controls, including the shipping and checkout processes, to assess whether additional measures are needed.
“eBay has controls in place intended to prevent certain gender-prediction products from being visible in India,” the company said.
eBay has about 136 million active buyers worldwide and operates as a marketplace where products are sold by third-party sellers. Although it does not run a dedicated shopping website in India, the platform allows products to be shipped to the country.
The listings identified included gender-testing kits priced between $6.99 and $156.59, with delivery options to India.
One listing featured the Peekaboo test, produced by U.S.-based DNA Diagnostics Center, and promoted as a way to determine a baby’s sex at six weeks. The listing described the product as “accurate and easy to use” and offered free shipping.
DNA Diagnostics Center said it does not sell or distribute the kits for resale in India. The company added that it cannot control the conduct of independent third parties after a product has been purchased.
SneakPeek did not respond to a request for comment.
India has prohibited prenatal sex determination since 1994 under legislation introduced after concerns over a declining ratio of girls being born compared with boys. The wider availability of ultrasound technology had made it easier for parents to learn the sex of a foetus during pregnancy, raising concerns that female foetuses were being selectively aborted.
The law carries penalties of up to three years in prison, with more severe punishment for repeat violations.
The preference for male children in parts of Indian society has been linked to traditional inheritance practices, expectations that sons will provide support to parents in old age and dowry demands made by grooms and their families, despite a longstanding legal ban on dowry.
The issue has also drawn scrutiny beyond online marketplaces. In August, India’s health ministry sent two notices to Google requesting the removal of search results connected to the Peekaboo website.
The notices, dated August 9, said Google’s Indian search engine was displaying “violative information” that directed users to pages that directly or indirectly promoted or advertised prenatal gender prediction.
The government included screenshots of searches for “peekaboo test,” “buy peekaboo test online” and “boy or girl,” which showed links to the Peekaboo website. It asked Google to stop displaying such results in accordance with Indian law.
A subsequent check found that the three searches were still producing results linking to the Peekaboo website.
The scrutiny highlights the challenge of enforcing India’s restrictions on prenatal gender determination across international e-commerce and search platforms, where products or information can be made available by businesses operating outside the country.
