Ms. Aishvi Shah, Assistant Professor, Parul Institute of Law, Parul University, Gujarat
Dr. Vidhi Shah, Assistant Professor of Faculty of Law, Gujarat Law Society (GLS) University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
ABSTRACT
“The people are pieces of software called avatars. They are the audio-visual bodies that people use to communicate with each other in the metaverse.” - Neal Stephenson
Technology has always been known to develop at a faster pace than law. Legislation usually follows after innovations come into existence, and aims to regulate the use and exploitation thereof. The metaverse is evolving fast and will soon become a mainstream interface for deeply immersive and personalized interactions between businesses and consumers and for business-to-business dealings.
Data Privacy is sometimes referred to as information privacy, which deals with the proper handling of sensitive data including personal data. Data privacy has regulated the manner in which personal data is collected, processed, and stored to ensure proper handling of data. With the Metaverse and other immersive technologies presenting new methods of data communication, extended reality (XR) firms and end users must consider new privacy measures.
We live in an era where companies find value in collecting and sharing data. Data is the most important asset in a business. The business had to meet legal responsibilities regarding the collection, storage, and process of personal data. Companies who work with sensitive data should consider the legal parameters to ensure that data privacy is outlined in legislation. If data privacy is a problem in today’s 2D web world, then the embodied internet of the metaverse adds a more complex dimension to the challenge. Consumers will use all new technologies to interact with the metaverse. Simply put, the metaverse blurs the lines between the real and the virtual at a scale never seen before.
This study shall examine a comparative legal analysis and the inconsistencies between technological advancement and the Regulation’s legislative framework. The researchers in this paper will explore ways to digitally protect oneself in the Metaverse. To study the advantages and disadvantages of Web 2.0 to Web 3.0 in context of digital privacy and virtual world. Moreover, to analysis the steps taken by Meta in working towards data protection and privacy in the metaverse.
