The document delves into the concept of identity within the metaverse, emphasizing its role in reshaping digital interactions and personal expression. It explores how digital identity in the metaverse is built upon credentials, verification processes, and trust mechanisms, highlighting the significance of digital representation and entity management in this virtual space. Ethical challenges and opportunities surrounding digital identity are discussed, raising important questions about understanding identity in the metaverse, its social and economic implications, and the need for interoperability.
The report underscores the necessity of inclusive, accessible, and equitable design to safeguard identity in the metaverse. It stresses the importance of global collaboration to establish a shared understanding of the metaverse and metaverse identity. The governance workstream aims to set best practices that foster innovation and growth while ensuring privacy and security. Failure to address evolving identity expectations in the metaverse could lead to repeating the shortcomings of the current internet landscape.
Furthermore, the document advocates for a multistakeholder approach to navigate identity challenges and shape a secure, beneficial, and fair metaverse for all. Key stakeholders, including design teams, academia, business leaders across various sectors, government entities, and civil society, are identified as crucial contributors to the ongoing development of metaverse identity. The report goes beyond infrastructure and system management discussions to explore identity as a tool for crafting digital belonging in the metaverse.
In collaboration with Accenture, the World Economic Forum’s initiative on Defining and Building the Metaverse is highlighted, focusing on creating a responsible, inclusive, diverse, and accessible metaverse through engagement with diverse stakeholders. Previous outputs from this initiative include discussions on interoperability, privacy, safety, consumer implications, social aspects, and industrial applications within the metaverse.
Overall, the document emphasizes the need for proactive measures to address identity challenges in the metaverse, stressing the importance of collaboration, innovation, and privacy protection to build a metaverse that aligns with evolving societal expectations and values.
