Locating the Value of Information Privacy in a Democratic Society: A Study of the Information Privacy Jurisprudence of Taiwan’s Constitutional Court

重新檢視資訊隱私的民主價值

本文旨在重新思考資訊隱私與民主社會的關係。本文主張，資訊隱私為重要的基本權利而應受憲法保障，其原因不僅在於資訊隱私與個人自主決定權密切相關，更在於資訊隱私有助於落實諸多重要民主價值。經本文觀察，資訊隱私的民主價值至少有三：一、個人資訊隱私之保障可限制國家權力的行使。二、建構與個人資訊隱私保障的相關程序機制。三、促使人民得以充分享有思想自由、言論自由以及從事其他智慧活動的自由。此外，本文亦分析臺灣司法院大法官資訊隱私相關解釋。藉由臺灣資訊隱私案例之探討，本文進而主張：資訊隱私不僅止於保障人民對於其個人資訊的自我決定權，更進一步確保人民得以自由思考、發表言論、思辨公共議題、發表不同意見、進而得以參與各種民主程序。從而，資訊隱私可謂為現代民主社會所不可或缺，自應受憲法保障。

This note reconsiders the relationship between information privacy and democracy, arguing that information privacy deserves constitutional protection because it not only ensures an individual’s personal interests in his or her personal matters, but also promotes public values central to our democratic society. To make this argument, this note identifies three democratic values inherent to information privacy. First, information privacy limits the government’s exercise of power. Second, information privacy secures democracy by providing citizens with certain procedural protections. Third, information privacy secures citizens’ freedoms of thought, speech, and other intellectual activities. This note also explores the information privacy jurisprudence of the Grand Justices of Taiwan’s Judicial Yuan, Taiwan’s Constitutional Court. Taking Taiwan’s experience as an example, this note argues that in order for people to freely think, speak, deliberate, dissent, and participate in the democratic process, their information privacy must be protected. Without information privacy protection, people cannot enjoy a really free and democratic society. Information privacy is thus an important value for a democratic society.