美監管機構審查分享經濟平臺

Uber, Airbnb and other pioneers of the “sharing economy” are coming under heightened scrutiny from a US watchdog that wants to know if consumers are at risk from their use of personal data and liability regimes.

優步(Uber)、Airbnb及其他“分享經濟”的先鋒企業正面臨美國一家監管機構聯邦貿易委員會(Federal Trade Commission，簡稱FTC)的嚴格審查。這家監管機構希望弄清楚它們對個人數據的使用及傷害問責機制是否會對用戶造成風險。

The Federal Trade Commission is examining internet businesses that facilitate peer-to-peer transactions for transport, accommodation and ecommerce as their explosive growth creates friction around the world.

FTC正在審查的，是那些在交通運輸、住宿和電子商務領域幫助開展“個人對個人”(P2P)交易的互聯網企業。在世界各地，這類企業的爆炸性增長引發了種種問題。

Marina Lao, director of the FTC’s policy planning office, told the Financial Times: “Essentially we want to see how we can regulate these new business models in a way that would protect consumers and not hinder innovation.”

FTC政策規劃辦公室主任瑪麗娜•拉奧(Marina Lao)告訴英國《金融時報》：“實際上，我們希望弄清楚的是，我們如何以一種不會妨礙創新卻能保護消費者的方式，監管這類新的商業模式。”

Uber has become a poster child for digital intermediaries that are sparking the ire of industry incumbents as it faces legal tangles from Paris and Brussels to Delhi and Beijing.

目前，在引發業內官方人士怒火的數字化中介企業中，優步已成爲其中一個典型。從巴黎和布魯塞爾，到德里和北京，該公司正面臨與各國政府的法律糾紛。

In the US, the past actions of the FTC — which enforces federal antitrust and consumer protection laws — indicate that it sees ride-hailing apps such as Uber, Lyft and Sidecar as a positive force for competition

在美國，作爲聯邦反壟斷法律和消費者權益保護法律的執行機構，FTC過去的行爲顯示該機構將優步、Lyft和Sidecar等打車應用視爲促進競爭的積極因素。

It has written to state and city legislators urging them not to pass laws that would put them at a disadvantage to traditional taxis.

該機構曾寫信給各州議員和各市議員，督促他們不要通過會令這類企業陷入相對傳統出租車行業不利地位的法律。

But the agency wants to probe two practices that are central to peer-to-peer platforms — the accumulation of personal data and the use of rating systems — as well as questions over legal liability for injuries.

不過，該機構希望調查p2p平臺核心的兩方面行爲——對個人數據的收集及對評級系統的使用方式。此外，該機構還希望調查有關傷者法律責任的問題。

“We want to see to what extent sharing economy platforms should be able to monitor participants by collecting, let’s say, location data,” said Ms Lao. “And if they do monitor, how can they do so while adequately protecting the privacy of the participants?”

拉奧表示：“我們希望瞭解的是，通過收集——比如——位置之類的數據，分享經濟平臺能對參與分享者實施何種程度的監控。如果他們確實在監控，他們如何在監控的同時，適當保護參與分享者的隱私。”拉奧還表示：“你不可能坐進某個你完全不認識的人的車——除非有某種東西能建立雙方間的信任。因此，對於分享經濟平臺而言，評級系統和互信機制非常重要。”