On Thursday, 23 March 2023, Patrick Penninckx, head of the Information Society Department of the Council of Europe, addressed the PACE Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media in Paris, presenting the Metaverse's impact on human rights, democracy and the rule of law, examples of potential benefits and legal challenges inherently tied to the novice character of the Metaverse. Participants further exchanged on these challenges and potential responses.
In October 2022, the Parliamentary Assembly appointed Andi Lucian Cristea (Romania, SOC) as rapporteur on the issue of "Risks and opportunities of the Metaverse". The PACE report will analyse the issues at stake, including the role that the Council of Europe could play in the Metaverse, review existing systems and standards both in its design and use, and provide recommendations to member States on how to ensure the protection and promotion of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, including via this new and potentially revolutionary technology.
The Council of Europe is also preparing a report on the "Challenges of Immersive Realities" in cooperation with IEEE, one of the world's largest technical professional organisation gathering communities and experts of engineering, computing and technology information.
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