美国法视角下的网络个人信息隐私保护

Internet Personal Information Privacy Protection from the Perspective of American Law

美国法律对于隐私权的保护起步较早,随着媒体、通讯的发展,个人信息隐私受到公众的广泛重视。二十世纪后半期,网络空间和数字通讯技术兴起,网络上个人信息被不正当利用的风险日益增大,为此美国法语境下的隐私权扩展至网络领域,将网络个人信息隐私纳入其保护范围。网络个人信息隐私权由传统个人信息隐私权发展而来,因其客体存在形式和特征的不同,与传统个人信息隐私权相比,网络个人信息隐私权具有人格属性和财产属性的双重特性,因此网络个人信息隐私权在内容上也更加看重对网络个人数据的支配权利。受法经济学影响,美国政府在考虑信息时代数据自由流动、高效利用与个人隐私权的利益平衡的同时,针对网络个人信息隐私权的特点,采取分散立法与行业自律相结合的模式来实现对网络个人信息隐私权的保护,这种独特的保护方式值得研究和借鉴。

The American law for the protection of privacy started earlier, with the development of media and communications, the public has been widely concerned about personal information privacy. In the second half of the 20th century, the rise of cyberspace and digital communications technology, the risk of improper use of personal information on the Internet is increasing, so the privacy right in the context of American law has expanded to the network field, and the network personal information privacy have been included in its scope of protection. The network personal information privacy right is developed from the traditional personal information privacy right. Because of the different forms and characteristics of its object, compared with the traditional personal information privacy right, the network personal information privacy right has the dual characteristics of personality attribute and property attribute, so the network personal information privacy right also pays more attention to the right to control the network personal data in content. Influenced by law and economics, the American government considers the free flow of data in the information age, the efficient use of data and the balance of interests of personal privacy right, and according to the characteristics of the network personal information privacy right, adopts the mode of combining decentralized legislation with industry self-discipline to realize the protection of the network personal information privacy right. This unique protection method is worth studying and learning.