■ Column
The first question of the "blind box without an owner" may be to ask whether it really comes from the airport or station.
According to reports, recently, the "blind luggage box" has exploded on the Internet.
Businesses selling the blind boxes say the suitcases are usually left unclaimed at airports or train stations for long periods of time.
Some citizens believe that it is very inappropriate for luggage to be used as a "blind box" for entertainment.
Some lawyers also said that buying such a suitcase itself has certain legal risks and hidden dangers, and broadcasting it live on the Internet can easily violate the privacy rights of the original owner.
"Unowned luggage" is just a specific status at a specific time
The "blind luggage box" has caused controversy, and public opinion has focused on whether this behavior is legal and compliant.
According to CCTV reports, the so-called "blind luggage boxes" are generally "unclaimed objects at airports and stations", but this is only a unilateral statement by the merchant.
Whether it is really abandoned passenger luggage, there is still a big question mark.
On the one hand, in terms of marketing strategy, the use of "unclaimed objects at airports and stations" as a gimmick can strengthen the uncertainty of the actual value of "blind boxes", and it is easy for consumers to mistakenly think that there is something cheap to take, thus Generate consumption impulses.
On the other hand, the auction of "unclaimed and unclaimed properties at airports and stations" is itself a controversial topic because it is related to the disposal of property rights and personal privacy.
Platforms and sellers do not rule out this auction behavior to create conflicts, attract traffic, and feed back sales through traffic.
Therefore, the first question of the "blind luggage box" may not be to discuss whether it is legal to conduct online auctions for "unclaimed and unclaimed items at airports and stations", but should first ask these so-called "luggage" as a selling point. "Blind box", is it really from the airport, station waste, and whether the merchant has the qualification to dispose of these wastes?
A further question is, if these businesses do not have relevant supporting documents, are they involved in false publicity?
Checking the websites of some domestic airports and airlines shows that most of the disposal of unowned luggage at the airport can find the corresponding owner through the check-in label on the luggage.
Most of the time, "unowned luggage" is only a specific state at a specific time. Once the owner is found, it will return to the normal state of "owned luggage".
Moreover, major airports and airlines also have relatively complete procedures for finding lost luggage to help owners quickly retrieve their lost items.
Starting from common sense, a basic judgment can also be roughly drawn: there is no so-called "a large number of unclaimed luggage turned into 'blind boxes' for sale".
There are standardized disposal procedures for "unowned luggage"
Of course, airports and stations will indeed find some "unowned luggage" unclaimed for a long time.
However, most of the airports and stations have relatively standardized disposal procedures for these suitcases.
After the airport or station finds an "unowned suitcase", the first thing to do is to rule out whether there is a safety risk in the suitcase, and to contact the owner in a timely manner through measures such as finding and retrieving monitoring via broadcast.
If the owner still cannot be found, the "unowned luggage" will be placed in the "Lost and Found Center" waiting for the owner to take the initiative to claim it.
Some airports will also send "unowned luggage" back to the airport or station of origin for storage and waiting for claiming according to the procedure.
If "unowned luggage" is stored in airports, stations, etc. for a long time, there are indeed problems such as occupying resources.
The general rule is that after 30 or 90 days, these "unowned suitcases" will be disposed of.
However, the disposal of unowned items also needs to be done in accordance with the law, let alone package them to a company as a "blind box" for live auction on the Internet.
It is precisely because all luggage has "owners", the disposal of these temporarily "unowned" luggage is also associated with some legitimate rights and interests of the previous owners, such as personal privacy rights.
What's more, if the electronic digital product is lost, the personal information stored in it is not unclaimed, and the original owner's right to privacy will disappear.
When some airports dispose of such "unowned luggage", if they find digital products or other valuables, they will choose to keep these items for a certain period of time, or confirm that the original owner or his close relatives cannot be found, and then put these items. The unowned property is transferred to the relevant department.
Because of the high uncertainty of the luggage in the "unowned luggage", the nature and importance of different luggage may vary widely. The whole package is sold to a certain merchant, and they are allowed to "blindly shoot" without opening the box. There are many uncertain legal risks.
There have been no public reports in China that airports, stations, airlines, etc. have adopted this method to dispose of "unowned luggage", which is probably the reason.
As for a businessman's claim that the "blind boxes" it sells are generally "unclaimed and unclaimed things at airports and stations", we just laugh it off.
Seriously, you lose!
□ Wang Lin (legal scholar)