迈向数字时代的消费者法:算法消费者的赋权理论及其体系建构

Towards a Consumer Law for the Digital Age:The Empowerment Theoryand System Construction of Algorithmic Consumers

保护消费者的合法权益是优化营商环境的重要环节之一。伴随着数字经济的发展与传统消费者身份向算法消费者身份的转变,算法消费者面临数字不对称、不平等地位加剧和意思自治受到侵蚀等异于传统消费者的问题,消费者保护的利益格局发生现代转型,亟待通过算法消费者赋权弥合利益保护的罅隙。传统消费者法以信息披露为核心的赋权模式面临失灵风险,数字时代的算法消费者赋权需从信息披露的信息范式向透明度的信息范式转变,在消费者法的基础上更新赋权的理念、方式及其权利类型,并通过权利性立法补足当前行为规制模式的缺陷。算法消费者赋权体系的具体展开以利益保护为出发点,为算法消费者提供在数据、算法层面的自主决定、自主选择和自主干预空间。迈向数字时代的消费者法,需在规范平台企业创新发展的基础上,保护算法消费者的合法权益,促进数字经济良性竞争和推动数字经济健康发展。

Protecting the legitimate rights and interests of consumers is one of the important parts in optimizing the business environment.Along with the development of the digital economy and the transformation of traditional consumer identity to algorithmic consumer identity,algorithmic consumers are faced with digital asymmetry,increasing inequality,erosion of meaningful autonomy and other problems that are different from those of traditional consumers.The interest pattern of consumer protection is undergoing a modern transformation,and there is an urgent need to bridge the gap in the protection of interests through the empowerment of algorithmic consumers.The empowerment model of traditional consumer law,which centers on disclosure,is at risk of failing.The empowerment of algorithmic consumers in the digital age needs to shift from the information paradigm of information disclosure to the information paradigm of transparency,update the concept of empowerment,the method and its types of rights on the basis of consumer law,and complement the shortcomings of the current behavioral regulation model through rights-based legislation.The concrete unfolding of the algorithmic consumer empowerment system takes the protection of interests as a starting point,providing space for autonomous decisions,choices and interventions by algorithmic consumers at the algorithmic and data levels.As we move towards a consumer law in the digital era,it is necessary to protect the legitimate rights and interests of algorithmic consumers on the basis of regulating the innovative development of platform enterprises,promoting healthy competition in the digital economy and facilitating the healthy development of the digital economy.