欧盟“数字守门人”的认定标准与启示

The Legislative Definition of the Digital Gatekeepers in the EU and Its Implications

“数字守门人”的立法界定,是认定控制信息的“数字守门人”的法律依据。欧盟《数字市场法》采用两步法界定守门人,一是划定了九类主要核心平台服务以及一类附属核心平台服务;二是提供核心平台服务的企业在满足定性与定量标准时便会被认定为守门人。对于满足定性标准未满足定量标准的数字平台,须通过市场调研综合考虑各种其他因素决定是否认定目标数字平台为守门人,对低于定量阈值但法律仍想规制其行为的平台进行更为弹性的认定。欧盟“数字守门人”的界定标准,可以为我国完善相关立法以规制大型数字平台提供参考。我国应审慎界定数字守门人范围,细化《分类分级指南》中“用户”的概念和对“限制能力”的判断,增加对数字平台内经营者规模、数字平台营业额的考量,设置弹性认定办法和异议机制。

The legislative definition of“digital gatekeeper”is the legal basis for identifying“digital gatekeepers”who control information.The EU Digital Markets Act adopts a two-step approach to defining gatekeepers:Firstly,it delineates nine main core platform services and one type of subsidiary core platform services;Secondly,the companies that provide core platform services will be identified as gatekeepers when they meet the qualitative and quantitative criteria.For digital platforms that meet the qualitative criteria but do not meet the quantitative criteria,market research must be conducted to comprehensively consider various other factors to decide whether to identify the target digital platform as a gatekeeper,and to make more flexible determinations for platforms below the quantitative threshold whose behavior the law still wants to regulate.The definition standard of“digital gatekeeper”in the EU can provide a reference for China to improve relevant legislation to regulate large-scale digital platforms.China should prudently define the scope of digital gatekeepers,refine the concept of“user”and the judgment of“restricted capacity”in the Classification and Grading Guidelines,increase the consideration of the scale of operators on digital platforms and the turnover of digital platforms,and set up flexible identification methods and objection mechanisms.