China Exploring Digital IDs, Real Punishments for Crimes Committed in Metaverse: Report

China Mobile reportedly reached out to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) with some metaverse-related proposals.

Written by Radhika Parashar, Edited by Manas Mitul | Updated: 21 August 2023 15:15 IST

China Exploring Digital IDs, Real Punishments for Crimes Committed in Metaverse: Report

Photo Credit: Pixabay

China imposed a blanket ban on crypto activities in September 2021

Highlights

China’s Tencent is also exploring the metaverse
Cryptocurrencies and NFTs make for essential elements of the metaverse
China Mobile has not disclosed details about its proposal to the ITU

China, despite its stringent anti-crypto stance, is looking to foray into the metaverse but with a clear set of dos and don'ts to apply in the virtual universe. The nation is reportedly exploring ways to create social credit systems for metaverse users, that would closely resemble the Communist Party's controversial laws part of China's day-to-day governance and working. Members from China's tech community are opening discussions about the same with other global tech bodies.

China Mobile reached out to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) with some metaverse-related proposals, a Politico report said over the weekend. The ITU is a telecom agency under the United Nations (UN), that sets global rules for the tech sector.

The first suggestion from China is a digital ID system for metaverse users. The proposed digital IDs will envelop a bunch of personal details of individuals, including their social media credentials as well as their job details.

[Sponsored] Samsung Galaxy S24: The Ultimate Camera Phone With Smarter On-Device AI

This digital ID system is being equated with China's social credit system, which scores Chinese nationals. The system could lead people to being blacklisted from using public services over scores indicating ‘bad behaviour'.

Law enforcement authorities in China are expecting to keep an eye out for cyber criminals via this digital ID system. Entities committing fraud, identity theft, harassment in these fully functional virtual ecosystems will be liable for real-life punishments in China if this digital identification proposal sees the light of the day.

In the metaverse, people can meet as digital avatars for social gatherings, concerts, work commitments, games, as well as to exchange digital files and documents.

PayPal Will Halt UK Cryptocurrency Sale Until 2024, Starting From October

If China Mobile's proposal to the ITU comes through, it would authorise the Chinese government to openly spy on metaverse users, Politico said citing concerned industry experts.

ITU's metaverse focused group is slated to meet in October, where China's proposal could be tabled for a vote. Neither China Mobile nor the ITU has reacted to the report yet.

This is not the first time, however, that a Chinese company has expressed an interest in diving into the metaverse sector. In June 2022, Chinese tech major Tencent announced the formation of an ‘extended reality' (XR) unit, placing its bets on the metaverse concept of virtual worlds.

China's Taiyi Group also acquired Huobi's ‘Huoxun' communication tool last year, in order to add more technical details to its metaverse exploration journey.

As per Statista, the revenue of the global metaverse sector is projected to swell to $82 billion (roughly Rs. 6,81,424 crore) by the end of 2023. In the next seven years by 2030, the revenue extracted out of the metaverse industry is projected to reach around $936 billion (roughly Rs. 7,778 crore).

Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Cryptocurrency, Metaverse, China, Crypto, UN, International Telecommunication Union

Radhika Parashar

Email Radhika

Radhika Parashar is a senior correspondent for Gadgets 360. She has been reporting on tech and telecom for the last three years now and will be focussing on writing about all things crypto. Besides this, she is a major sitcom nerd and often replies in Chandler Bing and Michael Scott references. For tips or queries you could reach out to her at RadhikaP@ndtv.com. More