國際投資協定中數據保護的路徑研究——以“Einarsson v. Canada”案為視角

Research on the Path of Data Protection in International Investment Agreements—From the Perspective of Case ''Einarsson v. Canada''

“Einarsson v. Canada”是首次涉及數據投資爭端的仲裁案件，雖然該案尚未公開任何裁決，卻為投資者今後依據國際投資協定及其仲裁機制尋求數據保護提供了新徑。傳統國際投資協定並未包含與數據有關的規則，但根據寬泛的投資定義以及仲裁庭的擴大解釋傾向，基本都能將數據認定為國際投資協定保護的適格投資。如果東道國頒布了數據規制措施，投資者就可以利用國際投資協定規定的公平與公正待遇、徵收及履行要求等條款，以其數據投資利益受損為由將東道國訴至國際仲裁。對於中國而言，需儘早完成數字經濟時代下國際投資協定的轉型，為中國投資者的合法數據投資提供保護，同時也為中國採取正當數據規制權提供支持。

The case of Einarsson v. Canada is the first time that international investment arbitration involves data investment disputes. Although no award has been made public in this case, it provides a new way for investors to seek data protection based on international investment agreements and their the investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms in the future. Traditional international investment agreements do not contain rules related to data, but based on the broad definition of investment and the expanded interpretation of the arbitral tribunal, data can generally be identified as qualified investment protected by international investment agreements. If the host state enacts legislation or policies to regulate data, investors can bring the host state to international arbitration on the grounds that their investment has been damaged, based on provisions such as fair and equitable treatment, expropriation and performance requirements stipulated in international investment agreements. For China, it is necessary to complete the transformation of international investment agreements in the digital economy era as soon as possible to provide protection for the legitimate data investments of Chinese investors, while also providing support for China to exercise legitimate data regulatory powers.