What are the challenges of Personal Data Protection within the Metaverse?

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The Metaverse is an expansive, three-dimensional virtual space where users interact through digital avatars. This space leverages new technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, allowing users to have immersive social experiences without having to physically be in a specific space. Within the Metaverse, people can work, socialize, create, and explore online activities in a different way.



However, this new method of social interaction presents significant challenges in terms of data protection and harassment prevention. The use of avatars instead of the real image of the person makes it facebook database to verify the identity of each participant, which opens the door to impersonation and fraud. Currently, the Metaverse lacks a robust authentication system, which has allowed different malicious actors to create fake profiles and infiltrate meetings of all kinds in order to steal both personal data and strategic information from organizations. In fact, countless cases of impersonation of trusted people have been documented worldwide, seeking to fraudulently obtain financial information or spread malware.

In addition to the above, the Metaverse allows for the massive collection of other types of data in its virtual environments , such as a user's behavior, their personal preferences, or the way they address certain questions, which is what causes the amount of personal information that can be compromised to be vast.

Another very complex facet of the Metaverse has to do with Cyberbullying , which is facilitated by the exposed use of avatars that adds a layer of anonymity and encourages harmful behaviors such as harassment, intimidation or defamation of other users, which contributes to the increase in cases of bullying with its consequent affectation to the mental and emotional health of users who experience it. In this regard, reports have already emerged of avatar fondling and even rape in digital groups within the Metaverse , through what is known as virtual assault.