According to proposals to a United Nations committee, China wants digital IDs and real-world punishments for Metaverse-related actions.
Reportedly, China plans to implement a system similar to its social credit system in the Metaverse and other online virtual worlds.
According to documents viewed by POLITICO and reported on August 20, the state-owned telecommunications company China Mobile has proposed a digital ID for all Metaverse and online virtual world users based on “natural characteristics” and “social characteristics.”
According to the proposals, “to keep the order and safety of the virtual world,” the ID would contain various personal information and identifiers, such as a person’s occupation, and such data would be permanently preserved and shared with authorities.
A problematic user who “spreads rumors and makes chaos in the metaverse” is an example of the system’s benefits, with the digital ID allowing police to find and punish the individual swiftly.
The proposal resembles China’s social credit system, an infrastructure in development designed to improve behavior by scoring and ranking citizens across multiple metrics, which has also been used as an enforcement tool.
The Associated Press reported in 2019 that authorities prevented 17.5 million social offenders from purchasing plane tickets in 2018. 5.5 million times, other social offenders were prohibited from buying train tickets.
China Mobile presented the proposals on July 5 as part of discussions with a focus group on the Metaverse convened by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations communications technology agency. The Metaverse focus group will meet again in October to discuss the proposals.
Join us in Shanghai July 4-6 for our #metaverse focus group, followed by a forum on July 7 and be part of key pre-standardization effort.
With int'l #standards we can create global access to knowledge & tech for #metaverse to benefit everyone, everywhere.https://t.co/4IrlYExOjW pic.twitter.com/3XAiCu90zz
— Int’l Telecommunication Union (@ITU) July 3, 2023The ITU’s Metaverse group aims to develop new standards for metaverse services, which, if adopted, could substantially impact telecommunications and technology companies.
According to a group contributor who spoke with POLITICO, Chinese firms participating in the focus group reportedly submitted significantly more metaverse proposals than American and European firms.
According to them, China is “trying to play the long game” for its proposals to become the standard for the Metaverse if its use becomes prevalent.
“Imagine a metaverse where your identity protocols are set and monitored by Chinese authorities. Every government must ask themselves: ‘Is that the kind of immersive world we want to live in?’ the individual said.
