China wants all metaverse users tagged and monitored like its citizens
China’s state-owned telecoms operator China Mobile is proposing global metaverse guidelines to the United Nations that bear eery similarities to the country’s controversial social credit system, Politico reported on Sunday. A “digital identity system” for all metaverse users could be based on a mix of “natural characteristics” and “social characteristics.” Data points like occupation can be “permanently” stored and shared with police to “keep the order and safety of the virtual world,” China Mobile proposals state. The guidelines are part of discussions between officials at the UN’s telecoms agency, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and tech experts. Experts who reviewed China Mobile’s proposals said metaverse users would be at risk of privacy and freedom violations if they were adopted. “To build a unified digital identity system, to give each human a unique digital ID that include...