The metaverse should be private by design

There is no doubt that what we live in is not so much a time of change as it is a real change Digital played a demiurgic role Not only from an economic, social and political point of view, but also from an anthropological point of view. ” Do not mince words President Privacy Guarantor, Pasquale StanzioneHe expressed his opinion on the role of speech in the digital, technological and social conference Metaverse between utopia and dystopia: prospects and challenges of data protection.

New Technologies – adds Stanzione – it decisively changed the fundamental coordinates that are expressed in the relationship between man and the world, Creating concepts of space, time, forms and contents of social relations. And with them the jurisprudential categories, as well as the relationship between the authorities. The Chief Privacy Guarantor remembers what really happened in 2021 Mark Zuckerberg have set in the metaverse The next frontier in connecting peopleso much so that he identified it “An immersive platform, an internet embodied Which allows you to stay inside the experience rather than looking at it from the outside. In the metaverse the user is not only seen with the famous glasses, however It ends up being the content“.

According to Gartner, By 2026, one in four people will spend at least one hour a day in this virtual space, also collectively, where physical and digital reality converge in an immersive experience capable of restoring sensory perceptions. “It will be a dimension expressed as well Multiple platformswhich is characterized by a continuous three-dimensional interaction “, specifies Stanzioni.

New opportunities but also known risks and problems

This is amazing A multisensory world with moving borders With areas capable of covering every sector of life, from business to commerce to leisure”, it will be re-proposed at an enormous value. Opportunities but also risks and problems appeared with the traditional internet.” It will represent a crossroads between some of the most relevant technologies for the context we live in such as artificial intelligence, wearable devices, augmented reality, big data, advanced robotics and cloud computing. These technologies will be able to provide the metaverse with properties such as scalability, persistence, interoperability, possibility of doing commercial transactions Based on User identity assurance even through avatars, Convergence between virtual and perceptual experience.

The lines assumed by the Metaverse are blurred – Stanzione confirms You will not have any of these properties. we do not know Whether its structure will be centralized or polycentric, unitary or multipolar. Neither What model of governance will inspire her. But we know that, in all the variety of forms he must take, his metaphysics will be Important effects on some aspects“.

The first of these aspects relates to the fact that the transversal and multiplicity of experiences that can be achieved and the amount of information that can be generated in the metaverse will determine Collecting personal data that cannot be compared with that on the web In terms of quantity but also in quality. They will already be included as well Biometric data Transfer, among other things, via wearable devices of them go Any offensive use is prohibited. The qualitative and quantitative importance of data streams will lead to Rethink through design of consent collection system and guarantees of transparency disclosure obligations.

GDPR and AI law are crucial

Also due to the high rate of interaction between users and the consequent need to protect minors from malicious experiences, “It will be decisive Edge checking guaranteeAnd Stanzioni argues, Naturally with systems that do not involve overly invasive monitoring of user activity. It will also be crucial to keep the Guarantees provided now by GDPR and soon by AIregarding algorithmic decisions and interactions between humans and machines that simulate human behavior: just think about virtual assistants that must be guaranteed Transparency and informed management“.

Technically neutral setting for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – Stanzione adds – You will be able to provide one A complete directional organization on the major online aspects of this new world, Above all thanks to the critical risk-based approach to adjusting protection to the characteristics of an ever-evolving reality. In all likelihood, the content customization of the metaverse will generate New requests for protection against new vulnerabilities and even newer selves, such as those of digital twin. Or even from completely exotic categories such as online interactions that are capable of expressing emotional states and that must correspond to the ability to provide protection proportional to the degree of intimacy that can be revealed.

Digital creativity will force a Draw a line between the data economy and privacy monetizationwith all the perils that this may entail in respect of liberty and equality – says Stanzione. The more immersive and comprehensive experience of this other life through contents suggested by algorithms, the more necessary guarantee individual freedom Through the constant conditioning practiced by digital tracking“.

Avoid conditional options

However, there is a danger that the freedom to give shape to one’s world promised by the metaverse only appears and hides instead. conditioning options. You will derive some important guarantees from commitments to transparency and accountability Submitted by Digital Service Act And for moderation in content, especially from a commercial point of view, dal Digital Markets Law. And also by strengthening the safeguards that have resulted in some recent guidelines for data protection authorities in the field Targeted ads. “The growth of the informational power and even the performance of the platforms that will accompany the development of the metaverse will force forward-looking choices in terms of The verdict – concludes Stanzione. Possible abstract forms are those of Oligopoly cartel Where every big technology occupies a specific sector. or who Metaverse open source It can be accessed and modified by every user with the aim of encouraging the broadest direct participation, but it is not easy to implement. Finally, the latest model is the Public Administration. Whichever paradigm metaverse development will head to, it is It is necessary to adopt some basic guarantees It aims to prevent this non-ideal space dimension from possible degradation into a An unknown place where rights are violated with impunity“.