GONJETSO DIKIYA (lead author) & BENTRY NYONDO (co-author)

Across the Metaverse: Policy priorities

The metaverse has revolutionised the interface between the physical and virtual world. It represents massive strides in technology aimed at merging the virtual world to the physical world. The metaverse poses valid challenges to several rights including the right to privacy. There is clearly a need to undertake deliberate steps to develop policy and regulation of the metaverse to ensure that mankind reaps the full benefits of this technological advancement whilst seriously protecting users from its negative effects. However, regulation of the metaverse is not in itself a straightforward matter, in that normal laws, policies and regulations cannot simply be transposed to regulate it. There is therefore a need to undertake a nuanced approach in formulating policy and regulation for the metaverse. This essay explores the development of the metaverse, its evolution and future direction. It then considers the challenges that the metaverse poses by
focusing on the impact the metaverse has on the right to privacy to privacy. The essay establishes that there is a need for deliberate policy and regulatory intervention in the metaverse. The essay then considers the challenges of regulating the metaverse terrain that does not suit orthodox policy
and regulatory interventions. It ends by making recommendations on a suitable regulatory framework for the metaverse.