Chinese State-Run Think Tank: "Metaverse, Potential National Security Risk"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] A Chinese state-run think tank has warned of national security risks surrounding the metaverse. The metaverse is a compound word of 'meta,' meaning virtual, and 'universe,' meaning world, referring to a three-dimensional virtual world where the virtual and real worlds interact.

According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 2nd, the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), a state-run think tank under China's Ministry of State Security, pointed out in a report published on the 30th of last month that "although the metaverse is still in its early development stage, considering its technical characteristics and development patterns, it carries potential national security risks ranging from cybersecurity threats to technological hegemony issues."

The metaverse refers to a space where economic, social, and cultural activities take place as an extension of the real world and is understood as an evolved concept of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Recently, the world's largest social media company Facebook even changed its corporate name to 'Meta.'

The China Institute of Contemporary International Relations warned that "the metaverse will deeply affect the political systems, economies, and societies of various countries," adding, "For example, it will become part of a country's political ideology, society, and culture, subtly influencing political and cultural security."

It further stated, "The highly immersive experiences offered by the metaverse could negatively impact the growth of young people, and criminals could use the metaverse to create addictive 'digital drugs.' Some individuals might become detached from the real world, causing the metaverse to generate new social problems."

It continued, "Since the metaverse transcends national borders, these issues and risks will likely become potential agendas in future international politics," and predicted, "There will be regulatory gaps in areas such as money laundering, sanctions, financial supervision, and intellectual property protection, requiring international cooperation."

The metaverse has gained increasing attention as people stayed home due to COVID-19 and enjoyed metaverse-based games like Fortnite and Roblox. SCMP reported, "In China, big tech companies such as Alibaba, Tencent, and ByteDance, as well as startups, have jumped on the metaverse boom to develop related business models."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.