网络平台言论规制的公共属性

The Public Nature of Online Platform's Expression Regulation

以互联网的崛起为界,网络平台作为我国公民发声的主要渠道,逐渐成为政府统筹公共言论的前沿阵地。以往的论辩通常预设了个体自由和政府监管之间的对抗关系,忽视了言论自由保护机制的公共属性,适当的管制也可能是自由的源泉。网络平台通过对流量数据的再分配,能够将强势资本垄断的话语权还归于某些弱势群体,确保政府在公共决策中听到更广泛的声音。然而,与上述理想仍有差距的是,私主体参与行政免不了受到根植于其中的经济结构的限制,须对有关私人规制的合法性、有效性和可问责性作进一步探讨;有关政府部门也因多重法律关系的存在模糊了公共责任,须动态地审视规制的整个过程,关注规则制定和相对人权利的具体保障。

With the rise of the Internet,online platforms have gradually become the primary channels for Chinese citi⁃zens to voice their opinions,thus becoming the forefront battleground for the government to manage public discourse.Diverging from past discussions where the main contradiction in speech regulation focused on the balance between gov⁃ernment oversight and individual expression rights,this article clarifies the public nature of freedom of speech,demon⁃strating that appropriate regulation may also promote the realization of collective autonomy.The control and allocation of traffic data by online platforms can redistribute the dominant discourse power monopolized by powerful capital to certain disadvantaged groups,ensuring that the government hears a wider range of voices in decision-making.How⁃ever,there is still a gap from the above ideal,because the participation of private entities in administration is inevitably restricted by the economic structure rooted in it,and the legitimacy,effectiveness and accountability of relevant private regulations should be further discussed.In addition,due to the existence of multiple legal relations,the relevant gov⁃ernment departments also blur the public responsibility,so they must dynamically examine the whole process of regula⁃tion,pay attention to the rule-making and the specific protection of the rights of the counterpart.