电商平台经营者责任认定的困境与完善

The Dilemma and Improvement of Responsibility Determination for E-Commerce Platform Operators

摘要: 随着电子商务交易规模持续扩大，《电子商务法》第38条关于电商平台经营者责任的规定在实践中暴露出的适用困境日益突出。其中，第38条第1款的适用难点在于如何认定电商平台经营者的主观状态，采取必要措施的标准，以及承担连带责任的范围；第38条第2款的争议焦点在于“相应责任”的具体形态，以及审核义务和安全保障义务的具体内容和履行标准。实际上，电商平台经营者责任认定的困境根源是对其法律地位认知不清。从交易结构看，电商平台经营者已经从传统的“中立服务者”转为“控制者”、“干预者”，因此应当将责任向其适当移动，以更好地维护消费者权益。在此基础上，第38条中不清晰、不明确的构成要件表达都应该采取相对严格的解释，并根据平台类型的不同具体分析。

Abstract: With the continuous expansion of e-commerce transactions, the application dilemma of Article 38 of the E-commerce Law on the responsibility of e-commerce platform operators has become increasingly prominent in practice. The difficulty in applying Article 38 (1) lies in how to determine the subjective state of e-commerce platform operators, the standards for taking necessary measures, and the scope of joint and several liability; The focus of the dispute in Article 38 (2) lies in the specific form of “corresponding responsibility”, as well as the specific content and performance standards of the audit obligation and security guarantee obligation. In fact, the root cause of the dilemma in determining the responsibility of e-commerce platform operators is their unclear understanding of their legal status. From the perspective of transaction structure, e-commerce platform operators have shifted from traditional “neutral service providers” to “controllers” and “interveners”. Therefore, responsibility should be appropriately shifted to them to better safeguard consumer rights. On this basis, the unclear and ambiguous expressions of constituent elements in Article 38 should be interpreted relatively strictly and analyzed specifically according to the different types of platforms.