论数字社会老年人的平等权保护

The Protection of the Right to Equality of the Elderly in the Digital Society

数字社会老年人所面对的不平等是公私主体行为共同导致的数字不平等以及由于数字不平等而加剧的社会不平等,其实质是数字不平等下的数字空间扩张所引发的社会参与不平等。老年群体的特征与平等的人性尊严属性,共同决定了数字社会老年人平等权保护的最终目标并非仅限于数字权利的平等,而是通过消弭数字不平等与遏制数字空间扩张双路径来确保老年人在数字空间与非数字空间均有充分的社会参与机会,给予老年人在数字社会的自主权。为此,国家基于不得直接侵害的禁止义务以及使老年人平等权免于来自私主体侵害的保护义务,应当实行“数字融入”与“数字共存”两种政策,其中前者是为老年群体数字赋能,帮助其积极融入数字社会;后者是保障老年群体在“拒绝数字”的前提下仍能平等地参与社会。

The inequality faced by the elderly in a digital society is the digital inequality caused by both public and private actions,as well as the societal inequality exacerbated by the digital inequality.The essence of this issue lies in the unequal social participation due to the expansion of digital space under digital inequality.The characteristics of the elderly,combined with their inherent human dignity,determine that the ultimate goal of protecting their right to equality in a digital society is not limited to equal digital rights alone.Instead,it aims to ensure that the elderly have equal opportunities for social participation in both digital and non-digital spaces by eliminating digital inequality and curbing the expansion of digital space.This ensures the autonomy of the elderly in the digital society.Accordingly,the state should implement two policies based on both prohibitive obligations that prevent direct infringements and protective obligations that safeguard the equal rights of the elderly against encroachments from private entities.The first policy,“Digital Integration,”empowers the elderly with digital skills and helps them actively integrate into the digital society.The second policy,“Digital Coexistence,”ensures that the elderly can equally participate in society even when they choose to abstain from digital technology.