本文旨在探討中共對臺網路監控是否會對臺灣民眾產生寒蟬效應(減少談論中共政治敏感議題的意願及產生自我審查現象)。透過實驗法(N=294),本文發現,在中共監管的網路與社群平臺上,擁有網路隱私保護技巧較好的臺灣民眾,在面對中共網路監控的威脅下,會有較高的意願來談論有關中共政治敏感的相關議題。然而,中共對臺網路監控會讓有網路隱私顧慮較高的臺灣民眾產生自我審查的傾向,顯示中共對臺網路監控會對部分的臺灣民眾產生寒蟬效應。整體來說,中共對臺網路監控寒蟬效應的強度,會隨著臺灣民眾對中共網路監控的感知程度和網路隱私外洩的風險程度而有所不同。
This study investigates whether China's monitoring of activities on Taiwan's Internet and social media may have a chilling effect (e.g., unwillingness to discuss China's sensitive political issues and willingness to self-censor) among the Taiwanese. Using an online experiment that primes participants (N = 294) of China's online surveillance, this study found that on China's Internet and social media platforms, when having better online privacy skills, people who were cognizant of China's online surveillance were more willing to search for and discuss China's sensitive political issues than those who were not. People with higher level of online privacy concerns tended to be willing to self-censor when facing China's online monitoring. In other words, variations in intensity of China's online surveillance' chilling effects depends on how much people perceive China's online surveillance and care about their online privacy.