知情与保密:私权对公权的信息悖反——以美国保密法为例

The Right to Know and Confidentiality:the Contrariety of Public Power and Private Rights

在民主社会中,知情与保密是公民的一项互为呼应的基本权利,人民享有不受干扰自由取得各种信息并进而请求提供信息的权利。政府的产生是公民权利集合的结果,公民作为国家的主人,有权主动知悉国家运作过程中的管理信息。政府作为最大的信息收集者与拥趸者,有义务提供充足且正确的信息以保障公民人身及财产安全。但当这些信息涉及到国家安全与国家利益时,应当授权政府免于公开秘密信息。公民的知情权与信息保密权的悖反心理及矛盾情状在现代信息社会中愈演愈烈。以美国保密法律及制度为范式,系统探究美国知情权与保密权结合的成功经验及其对中国保密制度的借鉴和启示。

In a democratic society, the right to know and confidentiality is a fundamental right of a citizen which ensures people has the right to access to information and then request government to provide information. The origin of the state is the result of transfer of civil rights. As all power in the state belongs to the citizen, a person has the right to access to management information which produced in national operation through various channels and in various ways in accordance with the law. As the largest information collectors and owners, government is obliged to provide sufficient and correct information in order to safeguard the safety of personal and property. When it comes to national security and national interests, government should be authorized to have the power to protect the classified information. The contrariety of the right to know and information confidentiality has intensified？ in modern information society. This article systematically studied the American successful experience of combination of the right to know and information confidentiality on the basis of the study of American confidentiality institution.