Platform Responsibility and Good Faith Reformulation: Reconstructing Consumer Protection in Food E-Commerce

Abdul Halim Barkatullah; Hairudinor; Trisna Agus Brata; Imam Syafa'i; Nurmaya Safitri

doi:10.23969/litigasi.v27i1.37632

Authors

Abdul Halim Barkatullah Faculty of Law, Lambung Mangkurat University
Hairudinor Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Lambung Mangkurat University
Trisna Agus Brata Sultan Adam College of Law
Imam Syafa'i Faculty of Law, Islamic University of Kalimantan Muhammad Arsyad Al Banjari
Nurmaya Safitri Faculty of Law, Lambung Mangkurat University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23969/litigasi.v27i1.37632

Keywords:

Consumer Protection, Digital Liability, E-commerce, Food, Good Faith, Platform Responsibility

Abstract

Indonesia’s food e-commerce sector has grown rapidly and made purchasing easier, but consumers now face greater legal and transactional risks. Trade no longer involves only sellers and buyers, because digital platforms now stand between the two. This shift raises problems of information asymmetry, food safety, and unclear legal responsibility. This study uses a normative legal method with statutory, conceptual, and comparative approaches to evaluate weaknesses in the current legal framework and to build a more adaptive consumer protection model. The findings identify two major problems. First, the “good-faith buyer” concept in Supreme Court Circular Letter (SEMA) No. 4 of 2016 on the Implementation of the Formulation of the Results of the 2016 Plenary Meeting of the Chambers of the Supreme Court as Guidelines for Court Duties does not suit online food transactions, which are frequent and involve small purchase values. Second, existing regulations do not clearly set out the legal obligations of e-commerce platforms. The study therefore proposes a three-dimensional protection framework: (1) modernizing the government’s regulatory function, (2) recognizing platforms as active curators with their own legal responsibility, and (3) strengthening consumers by applying a prudential standard based on “digital transactional vigilance.” Besides addressing practical regulatory weaknesses, the framework contributes to theory by redefining the principle of good faith in the digital marketplace.

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