Risks of metaverse development in Russia

Specialists from the Scientific and Technical Center (STC) of the GRChTs, controlled by Roskomnadzor, studied the risks of virtual spaces where people can interact with each other and with digital objects through avatars using virtual reality technologies.

Experts noted that:

• the dominance of digital currencies in metaverses will contribute to the violation of political borders, since tax codes and regulations cannot govern chains of sales;
• there is a risk of creating virtual shops, including for prohibited substances;
• virtual avatars will make personal data vulnerable to copying, erasure and manipulation;
• metaverses will contribute to the emergence of a “virtual political reality, virtual political parties, new forms of campaigning and protests”.

The use of extended reality (XR) to simulate tactile impulses also rethinks the cybersex experience, and there is a threat in the possibilities of cybersex with minors, the formation of various deviations, – it notes in the report.