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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.
优步(Uber)、Airbnb及其他“分享经济”的先锋企业正面临美国一家监管机构联邦贸易委员会(Federal Trade Commission，简称FTC)的严格审查。这家监管机构希望弄清楚它们对个人数据的使用及伤害问责机制是否会对用户造成风险。
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正在审查的，是那些在交通运输、住宿和电子商务领域帮助开展“个人对个人”(P2P)交易的互联网企业。在世界各地，这类企业的爆炸性增长引发了种种问题。
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政策规划办公室主任玛丽娜•拉奥(Marina Lao)告诉英国《金融时报》：“实际上，我们希望弄清楚的是，我们如何以一种不会妨碍创新却能保护消费者的方式，监管这类新的商业模式。”
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，在引发业内官方人士怒火的数字化中介企业中，优步已成为其中一个典型。从巴黎和布鲁塞尔，到德里和北京，该公司正面临与各国政府的法律纠纷。
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
在美国，作为联邦反垄断法律和消费者权益保护法律的执行机构，FTC过去的行为显示该机构将优步、Lyft和Sidecar等打车应用视为促进竞争的积极因素。
It has written to state and city legislators urging them not to pass laws that would put them at a disadvantage to traditional taxis.
该机构曾写信给各州议员和各市议员，督促他们不要通过会令这类企业陷入相对传统出租车行业不利地位的法律。
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.
不过，该机构希望调查p2p平台核心的两方面行为——对个人数据的收集及对评级系统的使用方式。此外，该机构还希望调查有关伤者法律责任的问题。
“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?”
拉奥表示：“我们希望了解的是，通过收集——比如——位置之类的数据，分享经济平台能对参与分享者实施何种程度的监控。如果他们确实在监控，他们如何在监控的同时，适当保护参与分享者的隐私。”拉奥还表示：“你不可能坐进某个你完全不认识的人的车——除非有某种东西能建立双方间的信任。因此，对于分享经济平台而言，评级系统和互信机制非常重要。”
