What are the legal challenges of the metaverse? Will the laws of the real world apply to this digital world? Should governments and national and international organizations modify existing laws or create new regulations so that the metaverse does not become a world without law? we know it.
The metaverse, a new universe on the Internet
In the coming years, a universe will be created on the Internet, accessible through virtual reality, that will cover all areas of life: entertainment, social interaction and working life, and that will bring a series of challenges beyond its own technical complexity, which are other than those related to the rules that regulate its operation. We are talking about the metaverse.
It is estimated that for mass adoption of the metaverse by its, let’s call them, citizens or users, it will be necessary for there to be only one standardized metaverse and not various metaverses not connected to each other or with different functions.
To know all this, it is first necessary to understand its meaning. The word ‘metaverse’ is an acronym composed of ‘meta’, which comes from the Greek and means ‘after’ or ‘beyond’, while ‘verse’ refers to ‘universe’, so we speak of a universe that is beyond what we currently know. In this case, it is a new virtual and three-dimensional ecosystem in which users can interact with each other, work, play, study, carry out economic transactions, among many other possibilities. All this in a decentralized way.
what do we have with him
It is important to know that when talking about the metaverse, reference is not made to a particular platform or brand, but to the concept of virtual space. In fact, the online video game company Roblox has its own metaverse and is a pioneer in the development of several aspects, in part, due to its experience with virtual worlds created by its users, as well as for the celebration of great events in its platform.
There are also platforms such as Decentraland or The Sandbox, which are based on blockchain technology and have developed their metaverses. That is why there are companies like Facebook, Microsoft and others that have started to win the race to be the first to create something with a face and eyes that the others must adapt to.
Or what is the same; the first to obtain the product could become its sole owner, with the consequences that an implementation of this magnitude can have at an economic and power level. The main legal concerns in a virtual world like the metaverse have been present on the Internet for years, because they share essential problems: we are talking about digital identity, privacy and the protection of personal data.
How will the laws
How to guarantee that in the metaverse each person and private or public entity is who they say they are? What personal and sensitive information will circulate in the metaverse and how to protect or limit it?
The current legislation, aimed at protecting personal data and guaranteeing digital rights, is very recent despite the age of the Internet. This is an example of how complicated it is to legally develop a body of regulations that covers all possible scenarios and protects the rights and freedoms of all, in addition to regulating their obligations.
Although the metaverse is the result of a private initiative, citizens of many countries will operate in it, who will have rights and obligations. But will the national regulations of each user be applied? Will there be an international framework to turn to? The European Commission is currently working on two legislative proposals, one on digital services and another to regulate virtual markets.
As such, there is still no specific legislation related to the metaverse, but a large part of the laws will have to have as a starting point the precepts of the legislation that we already have, while others will have to be created expressly to attend to specific frameworks of the metaverse. metaverse.
Data will be collected in the background while people go about their virtual lives. This brings with it heavy data protection responsibilities, and companies developing or participating in the metaverse will need to comply with data protection laws when processing personal data in this new environment.
