Metaverse privacy maturity lags enthusiasm for new virtual worlds

The metaverse already has privacy problems, and efforts to address them are disconcertingly hard to find, argued panelists at a Singapore conference yesterday. Many metaverse technologies – think AR, VR, NLP AI, and 3D graphics – have been around a while but are coming together for the first time, explained Pankit Desai, CEO …

[Ian 69]

We are very happy to go on Google Maps and see if the road is clogged

And I'm very happy to not be cold - as long as I'm not on fire!

[Pascal Monett]

"not think of it in a bad way"

Sorry, but no, I'm thinking of it in a very bad way.

My medical data being intercepted by Joe Schmuck ? An invisible someone listening to my private conversations ? No thank you, I'll pass.

Where I am is something my phone reveals by necessity and I guess I'm okay with that. If that helps determine where traffic jams are, that is good I will agree. But Real Life^TM is pretty clear : if I'm having a conversation in a public place, then I am aware that anyone can listen (and I shape my words accordingly), whereas if I'm at home having a drink with a friend, my conversation is private and nobody else is privy to that.

Call me back when the Metaverse can handle that.

[Alumoi]

Re: "not think of it in a bad way"

Call me back when the Metaverse can handle that.

Nice knowing you, sorry to see you go! :D

[Ozan]

Re: "not think of it in a bad way"

Metaverse never will handle that. Nor they will even try to handle that.

[jmch]

Re: "not think of it in a bad way"

"Call me back when the Metaverse can handle that."

It's already the case that for example a Zoom meeting can be limited to a private/select group, or that in a large zoom meeting there can be private breakout rooms that are not recorded (or recorded only with express participant permission). There isn't any technical reason why a Metaverse shouldn't have public spaces open to all (including recordings) and private spaces in it that are truly private (including end-to-end encryption of all 3D-artifact data in the same way that you currently encrypt text or audio).

The only reason for everything to be recorded is data-grabbing and money

[Michael Wojcik]

Re: "not think of it in a bad way"

Call me back when the Metaverse can handle that.

Why even bother then?

Never once in my life have I thought, "You know what would make this better? VR!". Hell, I only rarely think that about video. Privacy, on the other hand, I'm quite fond of.

[heyrick]

"Privacy is fake news and that's a good thing,"

No, it's not. For every useful case, I can think of a dozen dangerous cases.

And, not, in that strawman argument, you may know that a road is clogged but not the identities of the individual drivers. The service provider, on the other hand, knows your point to point location, your speed, and your origin and destination, etc.

[Ozan]

Re: "Privacy is fake news and that's a good thing,"

And Who knows who will buy that info.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: "Privacy is fake news and that's a good thing,"

"Privacy is fake news and that's a good thing,"

It's great (i.e. depressing) how the term "fake news" has come to mean "something I don't agree with".

and this soundbite from someone whose "mission is to help businesses, governments and people succeed with actionable intelligence." ("https://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/disa/bio/carter/")

I don't see any evidence of intelligence in his soundbite...

[IGotOut]

Enthusiasm for the meta verse?

The only ones I see being excited are those trying to flog it.

The rest of the world is "Meh"

[Howard Sway]

The youngest member of the panel, student and CEO of metaverse technology company....

What's wrong dude, didn't you want to be CEO of a crypto company like all the other kids?

Come back to us when you've stopped spouting on about how amazing it's all going to be and actually built something. Then we can have a good laugh at how the reality in no way matches the hype.