The Metaverse, or Web 3.0, is a three-dimensional immersive virtual world in which we interact through our digital avatars. The Metaverse combines, among other things, virtual and augmented reality technologies, aiming to offer its users an experience close to reality, « organic ».
Respect Zone is an NGO that fights against cyber-violence and online hate. Its objective is not only to prevent violence in social networks but also to promote online respect. Respect Zone wants to render safe and secured the design of this new environment that is the « Metaverse » by advocating for it to be respectful from its conception.
How can we do this?
– With our study, which is « practical » and holistic and which gives 35 concrete proposals ready to be implemented, and the first Metarespect Charter for the Avatars and their users. A plea that addresses private users, public authorities, information and communication technology operators, platforms and all other actors that might be concerned.
– But also with a participative and collaborative approach beyond borders. Respect Zone participates in the discussions of organizations and companies around the world, with the aim of fostering the development of interoperability for an open and inclusive Metaverse, and accelerating their development and deployment through pragmatic projects via the Metaverse Standards Forum.
A survey conducted in 2022 by Ifop reveals that 75% of French people express some kind of fear towards the Metaverse. This is partly due to the lack of clear, well-defined and appropriate rules for this new platform. Indeed, in the digital age, technologies are evolving rapidly and positive law is struggling to provide a framework for such accelerated innovation. And the unknown is always scary.
This is why, since April 2022, Respect Zone has been working on the development of this report and tools. The main objective is to provide a practical framework for respecting and defending digital human rights, and adapted to the particularities of metaverses (immersion, increased difficulty in separating the virtual world from the real world). To achieve this, Respect Zone adopts a « respect by design » approach through a panel of concrete and operational tools.
