China explores implementation of digital IDs and real consequences for Metaverse crimes
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Beijing: China, known for its strict stance on cryptocurrencies, is venturing into the metaverse, a digital realm, with a set of guidelines to shape how people behave there. The country is thinking about creating rules similar to social credit systems used in its everyday governance.
The goal is to create real-life consequences for the crimes committed in Metaverse.
To do this, Chinese tech experts are talking to global tech groups to figure out the best approach.
China Mobile, a big telecommunications company, has talked to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which makes global tech rules for the United Nations. They've shared a few ideas about the metaverse, reported Politico.
One key idea is to have a digital ID for people in the metaverse. This ID would hold personal information like social media accounts and job details. This is like China's system where they give scores to people based on their behavior. People with low scores could be stopped from using public services.
The goal is also to catch cyber criminals in the metaverse. If someone does things like stealing or bothering others in this digital world, they might face real-world punishments back in China.
In the metaverse, people use digital versions of themselves for all kinds of things like hanging out, working, and playing games.
If China Mobile's ideas are accepted, it means the Chinese government could watch people in the metaverse closely. Some experts are worried about this.
The ITU group that focuses on the metaverse will meet in October to talk about these ideas from China. It's possible they'll vote on whether to accept them or not. China Mobile and the ITU haven't said much about this yet.
This isn't the first time a Chinese company has shown interest in the metaverse. In 2022, Tencent, a big tech company, said it was going to focus on making virtual worlds. Another company, Taiyi Group, got a communication tool from Huobi to help with its metaverse plans.
Experts think the metaverse could make a lot of money. By the end of 2023, it might bring in $82 billion. And over the next seven years, it could make about $936 billion.