我国民事在线诉讼适用之检视与出路

Review of the Application of Civil Online Litigation in China and Its Way Forward

摘要: 随着数字技术的迅速发展以及智慧法院建设的不断推进，在线诉讼逐渐成为我国民事诉讼制度的重要组成部分，在线诉讼在保障司法活动持续运行、提高诉讼效率、降低诉讼成本等方面发挥了重要作用。然而，在线诉讼在实践运行中，也对传统民事诉讼理论与程序原则形成了新的冲击：在线庭审弱化了法官对于当事人言辞、情绪及行为状态的直接感知，影响直接言词原则的实现；实物证据及电子证据在线展示存在失真风险；部分弱势群体受限于数字技术能力而面临程序参与障碍；当事人在在线与线下程序之间的选择权亦存在被架空的问题。基于此，应在肯定在线诉讼制度价值的同时，合理限定其适用案件范围，并建立在线与线下庭审的灵活转换机制，同时加强技术基础设施建设，缩小数字鸿沟，并强化法官释明作用，以实现效率与公正之间的平衡。

Abstract: Against the backdrop of the rapid advancement of digital technologies and the ongoing development of smart court initiatives, online litigation has gradually emerged as a pivotal component of China’s civil litigation system. Online litigation has played a critical role in ensuring the uninterrupted operation of judicial activities, enhancing litigation efficiency, and reducing litigation costs. Nevertheless, in its practical implementation, online litigation has also posed novel challenges to traditional civil litigation theories and procedural principles: online court hearings attenuate judges’ direct perception of litigants’ verbal expressions, emotional states, and behavioral cues, thereby impeding the realization of the principle of direct and oral proceedings; the online presentation of physical and electronic evidence carries inherent risks of distortion; certain disadvantaged groups encounter barriers to procedural participation due to their limited digital literacy; and the litigants’ right to choose between online and offline procedures risks being hollowed out. In light of these issues, while affirming the value of the online litigation system, it is imperative to reasonably circumscribe its scope of applicable cases, establish a flexible mechanism for transitioning between online and offline court hearings, strengthen the development of technical infrastructure to bridge the digital divide, and enhance judges’ role in judicial explanation, so as to strike a balance between efficiency and justice.