The European metaverse, a more responsible virtual universe
The metaverse could pose problems in terms of security for users who, like all Internet users, are likely to be victims of “classic” theft or collection of their data.
© CC0 Pixabay/Tumisu
Text by: Dominique Desaunay Follow
3 mins
The metaverse is a subject that has been talked about a lot since Meta, the parent company of Facebook, made it its guideline.
Although the concept of metaverse has been invited into the debates of the French presidential election, many political decision-makers in Europe have already expressed the idea of developing, on a continental scale, these digital spaces mixing the real and the virtual.
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Imagine a digital world in which you could lead a parallel life.
To put it simply, these universes that already exist for
gamers
are managed by powerful computers in order to offer their visitors an experience in a three-dimensional virtual environment.
Digital spaces in which it becomes possible to evolve through an avatar, that is to say a more or less faithful digital representation of oneself.
Attend concerts with friends, climb the summit of Everest through a virtual reality headset, or even participate in a meeting between colleagues in an identically digitally reconstructed office, everything is possible in these alternative reality places .
A metaverse that heals...
The development of a 100% European metaverse would perhaps make it possible to compete with the initiatives launched by the American and Asian digital giants.
But beyond noting the economic opportunities, European policymakers intend to frame the new uses offered to EU citizens by the “immersive industries” that design these virtual environments.
These technologies must be both ethical and sustainable for them to be adopted by as many people as possible, notes Alexandre Michelin, founder and president of the
Knowledge Immersive Forum,
which conducted a global study entitled
Overview of the main uses and applications. of the metaverse
.
“
We absolutely must integrate ethics into all immersive industry projects, because the effects of the deployment of the technologies necessary for the design of a metaverse have considerable influence in our societies.
For example, the Strasbourg company
HypnoVR
who uses hypnosis techniques in immersive helmets to relieve pain rather than resorting to pharmaceutical products, only allows his device to be used in the presence of doctors.
In this case, we can clearly see that an ethical framework is very important for the secure use of these technologies,”
enthuses Alexandre Michelin.
And who would respect environmental issues
For the expert in immersive reality, the prospects are immense.
But it is important that the digital tools of metaverses respect environmental issues and that the computer systems that generate these virtual spaces consume as little energy as possible
.
“It is undoubtedly in the area of a responsible metaverse that Europe has the most assets.
By not systematically giving in to this global race for immersive technologies launched by the American and Asian digital giants, but by supervising the evolution of these systems for the good of the greatest number and by supporting sustainable development to create these virtual environments
, "explains Alexander Michelin.
A headache in terms of digital security
Our traditional digital activities already consume more than 10% of the world's electricity.
It will take five or ten times more to operate, for example, the "metaverse" as imagined by Facebook.
In addition, future users of these platforms could, like all Internet users today, be victims of online scams and the collection of their personal data without their knowledge.
The extent of these misdeeds risks being multiplied in the future in these digital spaces which mix the real and the virtual, cybersecurity experts are already warning.
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To read also: Metavers and virtual universes: what economic horizon?
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