A former Meta employee turned whistleblower, Francis Haugen, expressed concerns about transferring the company’s abuses into the Metaverse being created. Politico writes about it.
In October 2021, a former product manager announced Meta’s desire to increase audience engagement through specific algorithm settings. In particular, the platform spread misinformation and incited hatred and ethnic violence.
Haugen did not rule out that a similar policy could be adapted in the Metaverse.
“If they don’t commit to transparency, access, and other accountability measures […] we will see the same harm on Facebook,” she explained.
The publication notes that for the entire operation of the Metaverse, in addition to a 3D headset, it will be necessary to install sensors and microphones in homes, offices and, possibly, public places.
This is necessary to collect vast amounts of data when creating avatars.
If the vision of Zuckerberg’s Metaverse is realized, “we will wear gloves equipped with sensors that track all body movements,” Politico warned.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is concerned that collecting personal data in real-time will make current government surveillance “child’s play.”
To mitigate these concerns, Meta has allocated $50 million to explore the complex issues of privacy, security, and responsible design.
For Haugen, these moves look unconvincing. The whistleblower is convinced that the Metaverse Meta will do everything possible to form a detailed picture of users, neglecting privacy issues.
Privacy regulation in the Metaverse is in its infancy, with many talking about processing standards and limits on collecting personal information. At the same time, the details remain “vague”, like the very ideas about the digital world, the journalists concluded.
Recall that Meta has begun testing monetization in the Horizon Worlds metaverse.
The Financial Times reported that the company is considering creating centralized tokens for its Metaverse.
In April 2022, analysts at the largest international bank Citibank in a new report, predicted the growth of the metaverse economy to $13 trillion by 2030.
