Metaverse Privacy and Safety

The report argues for a 'human-first' approach to the metaverse, emphasizing that privacy and safety must be embedded into the architectural design rather than retrofitted. It identifies novel risks associated with immersive technologies, including the collection of body-based and inferred data, and the potential for new types of virtual harms and crimes. The document provides specific recommendations for protecting vulnerable groups, particularly children, and calls for global cooperation to harmonize cross-border data flows and legal jurisdictions in a borderless digital environment.

• The metaverse introduces novel data types that challenge existing privacy definitions, including body-based, biometric, and inferred data such as gait, facial expressions, eye movements, and vital signs. Some research indicates that motion data in VR can be more uniquely identifiable than a real-world fingerprint.
• The blending of physical and digital worlds creates jurisdictional complexities regarding the authority to police crimes and provide redress. The report highlights the need for international cooperation to establish secured communication channels for law enforcement and to clarify liability and enforcement across borders.
• Existing notice and consent models are insufficient for the metaverse due to issues with readability, frequency, and timing. The report suggests innovative alternatives such as portable, retractable consent, visual cues, and the use of digital agents or intermediaries to negotiate data-sharing agreements on behalf of users.
• Children require specialized protections in the metaverse due to their developmental vulnerability and susceptibility to confusing VR memories with real-world events. Recommended safeguards include child-specific hardware design, 'safety bubbles', and a balance between parental controls and the child's evolving right to autonomy.
• The use of generative AI to automatically populate metaverse infrastructure and content introduces significant safety risks, including model toxicity, hallucinations, and data poisoning. The report advocates for a tagging system to distinguish between human-created content and AI-generated content.
• The lack of a cohesive international agreement on digital asset ownership and intellectual property (IP) leaves participants vulnerable to data and financial loss. The report cites legal disputes, such as Nike vs StockX and Hermès vs Mason Rothschild, to illustrate the need for robust legal frameworks for digital assets.
• Metaverse literacy is identified as a fundamental requirement for trust and well-being. This literacy must be omnichannel, demographic-specific, and extended to law enforcement and developers to ensure that human rights established in the physical world are protected in digital spaces.

APA

World Economic Forum (2023). Metaverse Privacy and Safety. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Metaverse_Privacy_and_Safety_2023.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Metaverse Privacy and Safety. 2023. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Metaverse_Privacy_and_Safety_2023.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Metaverse Privacy and Safety |date=July 2023 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Metaverse_Privacy_and_Safety_2023.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2023metaverse, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Metaverse Privacy and Safety}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2023}, month = jul, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Metaverse_Privacy_and_Safety_2023.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }