How Will the Metaverse be Regulated?

The concept of the metaverse is hugely exciting. Mark Zuckerberg set out his vision for a sprawling virtual reality social setting in 2021, and the billionaire techie envisions one billion people within it by 2030. According to the Guardian’s report, the Facebook founder believes it will be the successor to mobile internet.

With VR still a way off from becoming a mainstream piece of technology, it’s hard to imagine exactly how the metaverse will look. There are also questions about how it will be regulated, and how much privacy users will have when they enter.

Worries Over Official Identification

There are concerns that the regulation of the internet is taking a step backwards. This was highlighted by the recent piece of news reported in PIA’s blog piece. It discussed how Louisiana had pushed through a bill that requires users of adult sites to show identification before logging on.

This inspired 11 other states to follow suit, in a move that has been heavily criticized by experts. Many believe that this is a dangerous step in the wrong direction when it comes to dealing with privacy online. In the places where this is enforced, users and businesses are at risk of being victims of data breaches.

The thing is, if this catches on across the whole of the USA, then other countries may introduce similar legislation over the next few years. If this happens in tandem with the widespread rollout of the metaverse, then the VR world itself may begin with some sort of identification requirements for users.

This would be a bad move, and it could put many people off using the metaverse. Indeed, it could mean that this futuristic concept fails to get off the ground. Therefore, it’s wise to assume that the metaverse creators will already have other ideas about how best it should be regulated.

The Metaverse Will Need to be Policed in Some Way

If the metaverse is the sprawling VR world that Zuckerberg believes it will be, then it will need policing in the same way the real world does. Governments will need to know who is entering and what they are doing. However, rather than use outdated methods such as collecting identification, it could turn to biometrics to keep track of people.

According to Grand View Research’s study, the biometrics market will be worth $150.58 billion by 2030. At that point, almost every mainstream device will be equipped with face or fingerprint scanners, and these forms of verification could be used to gain access to the metaverse.

If this type of security method is used, it means that users won’t have to hand over a wealth of personal information to get online. They will still have their privacy in online situations, but if their behavior needs to be traced for any reason it will be possible.

The metaverse will most certainly be regulated in some ways, but it may use technology that hasn’t even become mainstream yet. The news coming from Louisiana shouldn’t be worrying, as it’s clear that many people view this as destined to fail. Indeed, it could even inspire developers to come up with more efficient solutions for policing the online world.

Leofric Averille

“Thinker. Coffeeaholic. Award-winning gamer. Web trailblazer. Pop culture scholar. Beer guru. Food specialist.”