利益平衡理念下搜索引擎竞价排名行为的刑法有限规制

Limited Criminal Regulation of Bidding Rank Behavior of Search Engine under the Concept of Interest Balance

搜索引擎的竞价排名行为在带来自身与用户利益"双赢"的背后,也成为了诸多网络犯罪的帮凶,由此中外司法实践已拉开其合法性论证的序幕。竞价排名的巨大社会危害与当前法律监管救济的不足决定了对其进行刑法规制的必要。认为搜索引擎仅是虚假信息传播的"管道"从而可根据技术中立原则游离于刑法规制范围之外,以及其履行了法律规定的审查义务便可"进港避风"从而否定帮助犯责任的观点均不能成立。在肯定刑法规制必要的前提下,基于对搜索引擎广告行为与信息检索服务行为的双重性质界定,现行法下可直接以虚假广告罪、帮助信息网络犯罪活动罪、拒不履行信息网络安全管理义务罪中的重罪论处,而在与竞价企业刑事责任不协调时则宜依据共犯原理处罚。但为维护网络公众利益和促进商业模式创新,刑法在规制竞价排名时应保持谦抑态度,可通过严格"明知"的司法认定、限定刑法处罚的竞价领域以及确立搜索服务商的从宽处罚事由等实现刑法的有限规制。

Although the bidding rank behavior of search engine has brought the mutual interests for itself and users,it also becomes an accomplice of many cybercrimes which leads to the argument of its legitimacy in many countries. The huge social harm of bidding rank and the insufficiency of current legal supervision determine the necessity of being regulated by the Criminal Law. Theoretically,the view that search engine is only the"channel"for dissemination of false information so that it should be excluded from the scope of criminal regulation according to the principle of technology neutrality,and that it can "enter the harbor and take shelter"to avoid the liability of accomplices cannot be established. On the premise of affirming the necessity of Criminal Law regulation,based on the dual nature of search engine advertising behavior and information retrieval service behavior,the current law should punish it as a felony of objectively helping the false advertising,helping information network criminal activities and refusing to fulfill the obligation of information network security management. However,in order to safeguard the public interests of the network users and promote the innovation of business model,the Criminal Law should maintain a reserved attitude in regulating the bidding rank. It can limit both the scope and extent of punishment of the Criminal Law by strictly "knowing"judicial cognizance and the bidding field of criminal penalty and establishing reasons for leniency of search service providers.