电子竞技生态系统中人脸识别技术运用的预防原则？

摘要

电子竞技（“电子体育”）正逐步成长为一个重要的经济市场。电子竞技参与者——包括作为电子竞技生态系统组成部分的职业与业余选手、从业人员及粉丝——一直遭受着形形色色的有毒行为，尤其是网络性骚扰。为确保所有参与电子竞技的个体拥有安全的环境，视频游戏发行商与第三方赛事组织者应采取适当措施缓解此类行为，因为这既能改善视频游戏社区的负面形象，又能进一步扩大玩家群体规模。在此背景下，本文考察视频游戏发行商与第三方赛事组织者能否合法运用人脸识别技术，作为防范网络环境中有害行为的保护性措施。就此而言，部署人脸识别技术有可能成为二者在电子竞技生态系统内营造更安全的线上线下环境的有力工具。为此，本文探讨预防原则如何适用于电子竞技生态系统中的人脸识别技术运用，以防范选手与粉丝的有毒行为。本研究旨在为负责任地运用新兴技术、保护电子竞技生态系统中的参与者奠定基础。

Abstract

Esports (‘electronic sports’) are gradually emerging as a significant economic market. Esports participants – including professional and amateur players, workers, and fans who are part of the esports ecosystem – have been subjected to various forms of toxic behaviours, particularly online sexual harassment. To ensure a safe environment for all individuals involved in esports, video game publishers and third-party organisers are expected to implement appropriate measures to mitigate such behaviours because it can improve the negative image of video game communities and can further increase the number of gamers. Against this background, this article explores whether video game publishers and third-party organisers may lawfully employ facial recognition technology as a protective measure to prevent harmful conducts in online environments. Therefore, the deployment of facial recognition technology could prove to be a valuable tool for both video game publishers and third-party organisers in fostering safer online and offline environments within the esports ecosystem. To that end, it will consider how the precautionary principle can be applied to the use of facial recognition technology within the esports ecosystem, as a means of preventing toxic behaviour by players and fans. This research seeks to lay the foundation for the responsible use of emerging technologies to safeguard esports participants within the esports ecosystem.