Anti-cheating measures will be enforced for this season’s PGETC and EYGTC (children!)
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Side view means you can’t even use the camera in your laptop screen, but need an external one*. Such a faff. I also question the legalities and safeguarding / data protection of it for minors.
I’ve not played in the PGETC since having kids, but this makes it even less likely.
* except for Piers Shepperson 
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Some weeks ago I heard this was coming.
I guess I can understand the reasons for this, but I expect it will cause a drop in the number of participants for these online events (it will stop me from participating in the PGETC). I also expect it will become even more difficult for me to find participants for our EYGTC team.
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In an explanation I heard a few weeks ago, an argument was made that a video link would allow some social interaction between the players, which many children might enjoy when playing online with other children of around their age.
I felt this might be a good argument (in my mind, I was assuming front-facing cameras, as if you are in a Teams meeting with your opponent). But when the requirement turns out to be a side/rear-facing camera, to me it seems like mostly an anti-cheating measure after all, more intrusive toward privacy and harder to sell to parents (I’m not even sure I want to be a salesman for this).
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Yes, the argument about social interaction feels like a way to make the anti-cheating measure more acceptable. However, setting up the game and being on time is already hard enough for some children/parents. Now, some 8 year olds will have to record themselves via Skype using an external camera??
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I found it particularly annoying when video recording games for past tournaments, trying to use a phone for side view, but then having issues with battery life and file size of the videos.
It seems like an external webcam would probably be needed as mentioned.
It does seem a bit unfortunate, but unfortunately there has been cheating in last years PGETC so something has to be done. It didn’t get discussed at the EGF AGM, so I didn’t hear any of the discussion, but this webcam side view seems more like a deterrent measure than a way to catch people cheating.
It’s mandatory only for the A league
mandatory for the Pandanet Go European Team Championships League A
but was anyone actually even suspected in the A league?
This is really the step toward anti-cheating measures
The EGF will nominate members of the Fair-Play Committee with an odd number of members. In case there is a formal request for checking an online game suspicious for cheating, the members of the Fair Play Committee shall analyze the game comparing the level of play with the nominal strength of the player. If most members of the Fair Play Committee conclude that there is cheating involved, the EGF Appeal Committee issues the penalty according to the General Regulations.
It’s probably better to have a good Fair Play Committee familiar with cheat detection, since the other webcam stuff isn’t even mandatory for the PGETC.
For kids, I don’t really know, they can be really strong, their level can probably fluctuate a bit from game to game, but kids could possibly also feel under pressure in some circumstances to win - they’re representing their country in a sense - so I wouldn’t rule out that some might feel the need to get some assistance to win.
I’m not sure exactly how I feel about it, but probably just a better anti-cheating committee might still be better than or less invasive than cameras and skype calls and so on for the eygtc
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Oh but this is like 6-7 years ago is it?
Apparently it was successfully appealed
http://pandanet-igs.com/communities/euroteamchamps/409
and in that post
Edit: The appeals committee has reversed the decision on 18th May 2018.
I guess I didn’t say it, but I (in my head) was implying recently, like the last season, as that’s what the EGF AGM was supposed to be discussing.
But fair point.
There was an AI cheating case last season in the PGETC league C with a Bulgarian player.
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We are trusting people to play fairly, but we also prepared severe anti-cheating measures with serious penalties for those who try to cheat!
It is not acceptable to leave the field of view of the camera without a good reason – please announce it politely to your opponent if necessary. Do not ever try to do it while you are on the move!
Here that, kids: we are trusting you, but only if you can hold your pee for the duration of the game.
These rules might change in the future. In case there is a large opposition (more than 50%) against these measures we will postpone them to the next year.
When is this vote taking place? If there really is a vote I expect almost all parents to oppose this “fair-play guide” (an intriguing name for something that explains how video surveillance will work, and seems entirely unrelated to fair-play).
Of course, if there is no vote but only an unspoken “anyone who opposes this will be suspected of being a cheater”, then maybe no one will dare oppose it.
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Perhaps it means that if the number of teams participating in this year’s EYGTC is less than half of the previous year (16 teams), the measures will be delayed by one year?
Most youth players that I managed to recruit in previous years are DDK players under 12 years old. I decided that I won’t do it this year (and probably not after either, if these requirements are here to stay). I don’t want to persuade parents to comply with requirements that I won’t comply with myself.
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Well, I just sent an email to the EGF executive to register my opposition.
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I really had to double check that they wrote that.
It sounds a bit comical actually, like somebody is paraphrasing the actual instructions.
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It’s fine, going to the to toilet is a good reason. So no need to announce that.
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I wonder is leaving the game because you’re losing and need to check Katago a good reason, so you don’t need to announce it 
I mean you wouldn’t want to be caught doing it on camera
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So after reading, it’s 1 camera in the back of each player so 2 for each game. Side is not really the right word here.
Newcomers don’t have it (less as 2 years)
You need a fully registered account on the website. (5 games played at least). If you don’t like to play on internet, just go away.
I plan to ask French potential participants/parents what they think and then will write to the organizing committee of EYGTC if there is a lot of opposition.
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I wouldn’t exactly call a player a newcomer after 2 years of playing.
I wonder what is the reasoning behind this exemption. Some children could be 25k after 2 years, while some might be 1d. Do the creators of this exemption assume that children might only try to cheat after 2 years of playing?
I think the rationale is that learning to use KGS (setup the game with the correct parameters) is difficult enough, so they don’t want to add complications for new players.
Still I’m not happy with that rule, at least one of our players has 2 years of experience and is 8 years old. Even older players might not have required equipment at home and/or don’t have a quiet place to play without other family members discussing private stuff around.
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I do understand that there are other considerations that play a role for the French team.
France is one of the top contenders. I suppose top contenders have more reason to be concerned about potential cheating, and parents of young top players might be more accepting to put up with measures like these.
But I think it raises a significant barrier for weak young players and these measures will do more harm than good for those players.
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