In recent years, the accelerated penetration of digital technologies, the continuous emergence of complementary innovations in applications, and the increasing popularity of smart terminals. The unique economies of scale, economies of scope, and network economic effects, as well as ecological and competitive paradigms on Internet platforms, have driven new industries, new models, and new models of the digital economy. The business is developing rapidly.
However, it should also be noted that in the development process of Internet platforms, many problems have arisen, such as platform monopoly, unfair competition, data abuse, data security, financial risks, and disorderly expansion of capital.
The Central Economic Work Conference made further requirements for "strengthening anti-monopoly and preventing the disorderly expansion of capital", and proposed "to improve the legal norms of platform enterprise monopoly recognition, data collection and use management, consumer rights protection, etc.", and emphasized "to strengthen regulation , To improve supervision and management capabilities."
In this context, comprehensively improving Internet platform supervision and accelerating the construction of a new Internet platform supervision system that is oriented to modernization, adapts to international trends, and is in line with my country’s development reality is the subject of further transforming government functions and enhancing supervision capabilities. It is an inevitable requirement to optimize the business environment of the digital economy and stimulate the development momentum of the digital economy.
Uphold the scientific and modern regulatory concept
Idea is the forerunner of action.
To improve Internet platform supervision, the first thing is to uphold scientific and modern supervision concepts and provide guidance for exploring the formation of a new regulatory framework.
Adhere to laws and regulations, and strive to improve the standardization and legalization of Internet platform supervision.
It is necessary to use rule of law thinking and methods to supervise in accordance with the law, promote the legalization of supervisory institutions, functions, powers, procedures, and responsibilities, improve the ability to supervise in accordance with laws and regulations, and ensure that statutory duties must be fulfilled, and law cannot be authorized without authorization, and the rule of law for Internet platform supervision Standardization and transparency; need to be based on social public interests, treat all relevant stakeholders including Internet platform companies equally, and equally protect the legitimate rights and interests of all types of subjects; need to improve regulatory procedures and accelerate improvements in line with the development characteristics of Internet platforms Regulations of regulatory procedures, strict regulatory enforcement procedures, clarify relevant enforcement standards, and increase regulatory information disclosure.
Adhere to tolerance and prudence, and strive to improve the flexibility and timeliness of Internet platform supervision.
The Internet platform and the digital economy with its key organizational method are still new, highly innovative, and in the process of dynamic development. The supervision of them should adhere to the principle of tolerance and prudence, and handle the relationship between encouraging innovation and prudential supervision .
At the same time, agile supervision and responsive supervision can be promoted in an orderly manner, and various violations of laws and regulations and major risks arising from its development can be dealt with in a timely manner.
Adhere to precise supervision and strive to improve the pertinence and accuracy of Internet platform supervision.
Adhere to classified supervision, and design supervision mechanisms and models for different types of Internet platforms with different technical and economic characteristics; adhere to comprehensive supervision, consider comprehensively using norms, guidelines, standards, technologies and other means and tools.
All in all, it is necessary to adopt a variety of targeted measures to effectively enhance the accuracy of supervision.
Insist on collaborative and co-governance, and strive to increase the participation and credibility of Internet platform supervision.
Comply with the characteristics of cross-border integration and cross-border development of Internet platforms, strengthen the integration of regulatory resources, establish and improve cross-departmental and cross-regional coordinated regulatory mechanisms, and form a comprehensive Internet platform regulatory system featuring upper and lower linkages, horizontal coordination, and seamless connections.
It can also consider giving full play to the role of industry associations, social organizations, etc., to promote the formation of a coordinated and co-governance situation led by the government, platform autonomy, industry self-discipline, public opinion supervision, and public participation.
Effectively enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of supervision
Effective supervision is the key to improving supervision.
The construction of a new type of Internet platform supervision system requires efforts from various aspects, such as optimizing the organizational structure, strengthening key enforcement, and improving the accountability mechanism.
One is to optimize the organizational structure to promote collaborative supervision.
It is necessary to further optimize the market supervision organization structure, integrate Internet platform supervision forces, unify supervision standards, and form an Internet platform supervision organization system that meets the requirements of building a high-standard market system; it is necessary to coordinate supervision functions, clarify the supervision boundaries of various departments and the rights and responsibilities of supervisory entities, Strengthen collaboration.
The second is to scientifically and reasonably define the responsibilities of the Internet platform.
Clarify the governance responsibilities of the Internet platform in terms of operator information verification, product and service quality, platform claims, consumer rights protection, and labor rights protection.
Respect consumers' right to choose and ensure cross-platform interconnection and interoperability.
Allow the platform to explore different business models under the premise of operating in compliance, clarify the responsibilities of the platform and the operators on the platform, study and formulate specific methods for the due diligence of the Internet platform, and reasonably determine the responsibilities of the platform in accordance with the law.
The third is to further strengthen supervision and law enforcement in key areas.
For key areas such as data, mergers and acquisitions, competition, algorithms, and employment, learn from international experience, strengthen special supervision and key supervision, accelerate the establishment of new mechanisms such as credit supervision, standard supervision, and risk supervision, tighten Internet platform supervision and law enforcement, and increase platform violations The penalties for violations will be strengthened to enhance the deterrence and credibility of supervision and law enforcement, and promote the institutionalization and standardization of supervision in key areas, routine supervision and daily supervision methods.
The fourth is to improve the accountability mechanism for Internet platform supervision.
Consider setting up a special supervision committee or a third-party supervision agency to strengthen the supervision of Internet platform regulatory agencies, strengthen government departments’ supervision and law enforcement responsibilities, and form an effective regulatory accountability mechanism to ensure that Internet platform regulators can faithfully perform their duties. At the same time, the accountability of supervision and law enforcement should be improved.
In addition, according to the characteristics of Internet platforms and regulatory needs, the Internet platform supervision laws and regulations system should be continuously improved, in terms of detailed Internet platform supervision operation guidelines and implementation rules, strengthening the coordination of Internet platform supervision laws and regulations, and perfecting relevant ethical standards in the field of Internet platforms. Effectively.
Continue to innovate the means and methods of supervision
In view of the complexity of the problems faced by Internet platform supervision, it is necessary to design and select targeted, scientific and efficient supervision methods and methods.
On the one hand, we can consider introducing a regulatory impact assessment system.
Supervision has a cost.
In the process of Internet platform supervision, we must not only mobilize various resources and pay corresponding costs, but also fully consider the impact of regulatory deviations on the operation of normal operating platform companies.
In this regard, it is necessary to actively promote the cost-benefit analysis of Internet platform supervision, conduct supervision impact assessment, comprehensively consider the long-term economic and social benefits of supervision, and effectively reduce supervision costs, reduce supervision errors, and improve supervision benefits.
On the other hand, it is necessary to actively use new regulatory technology.
Deeply grasp the characteristics of active Internet platform market players, cross-industry integrated development, and ecosystem competition, and give full play to the role of new regulatory technology in market supervision.
It can rely on the new generation of information technology to promote regulatory innovation, build a big data platform for Internet platform market supervision, and use smart supervision new methods and methods to reduce supervision costs; promote seamless online supervision (off-site supervision) and offline supervision (on-site supervision) Connect, realize networked, intelligent, embedded, agile, and precise Internet platform supervision, and comprehensively enhance the pertinence and scientificity of supervision.
(Author: Chinese Academy of Macroeconomic Research Institute of Market and Price Wang Lei, Wang Dan, Guo Jin)