Reality Check: How to Protect Human Rights in the 3D Immersive Web
September 2023
Advances in immersive technologies mean that in the near future, people will consume digital content and interact in 3D, eclipsing the 2D Internet.
A new report by the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights explains two pressing risks related to the mass adoption of immersive technologies: an unprecedented erosion of privacy and proliferation of physical aggression in virtual environments.
Immersive technology will power the “metaverse,” the sprawling collection of virtual environments on which the Silicon Valley giant Meta has staked its future success.
Other large tech companies, including Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Sony, have made sizable investments in immersive technology as well, using alternative terms like “extended reality” (XR) and “spatial computing.” Regardless of the specific form that it takes, the 3D web will usher in new threats to human rights and exacerbate old ones. Businesses and policymakers should learn from the mistakes of the past and take proactive action to mitigate those harms.
Technology & DemocracyRelated
See all
Digital Aftershocks: Online Mobilization and Violence in the United States
Our new report draws on open-source intelligence to trace how extremist actors coordinate across online platforms to justify violence and recruit supporters, offering a framework for policy and platform response.
Feedback on the European Commission’s Digital Fairness Act
The Working Group on Gaming and Regulation submitted feedback to the European Commission’s Digital Fairness Act, calling for clearer, better-enforced rules across Member States that close regulatory gaps without adding unnecessary complexity to the EU’s digital framework.
Feedback on the EU’s Consumer Agenda 2025–2030
The Working Group on Gaming and Regulation submitted feedback to the European Commission’s Consumer Agenda 2025–2030, urging the EU to strengthen enforcement against manipulative design practices in digital games and to modernize consumer protection rules for the digital marketplace.