China Bids to Move Its Social Credit System to the Metaverse

• China has big plans for the Metaverse.
• State-owned telco submitted a new proposal to the UN’s group.
• Social misbehaviors in the Metaverse to be “punished.”

China is allegedly bidding to bring its social media credit system to the Metaverse . According to recent reports , Chinese state-owned telecommunications giant China Mobile made the proposition to a United Nations group, expecting that it would improve social behaviors in the Metaverse and the greater virtual world.

Digital ID for All Virtual World Users

The proposal is akin to China’s social credit system, which was officially piloted in 2014. Although the infrastructure is still in development, reports indicate that it is widely in use. In 2018, the system was used to bar social offenders from purchasing plane tickets 17.5 million times. 

Notably, the proposal seeks to create a digital ID for all virtual world users who depict natural and social characteristics. The ID will be tagged to a user’s personal information, including identifiable signs, such as the person’s job.

This information will then be stored permanently and shared with law enforcement in the event of safety and orderly concerns in the virtual world. In one scenario highlighted as a benefit, the ID would point police to a user who “spreads rumors and makes chaos in the metaverse.”

Is China Playing the Long Game?

According to the primary source reporting this development, Chinese companies are filling in more proposals, a move that could give them a competitive edge in terms of tech advancement in the near future. If the current proposal comes to pass, it might be the new standard for Metaverse projects and similar companies.

The proposal was made during a discussion between the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and other global tech experts while attending a session in Shanghai on July 5. The focus group is slated to vote for the proposal in a meeting scheduled for October in Geneva.

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