Facebook working on ways to protect users in the metaverse, says senior executive
NEW YORK (REUTERS) - Facebook's head of global affairs Nick Clegg said the company was working on ways to protect users in the metaverse, speaking in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday (Nov 2).
The company last week changed its name to Meta Platforms to reflect its focus on building the "metaverse", a shared virtual environment that it bets will be the successor to the mobile internet.
Mr Clegg, who said it could take up to 15 years for the metaverse to come to fruition, said there would be time for the company to build in safety and privacy protections.
Facebook, which has long been under scrutiny from regulators and lawmakers over its approach to users' safety, privacy and for failures in policing platform abuses like hate speech, has faced heightened criticism after former employee Ms Frances Haugen leaked internal documents which she said showed the company put profit before user safety.
Facebook on Tuesday announced new European partners in its XR Programs and Research Fund, a two-year, US$50 million (S$67 million) investment that it says will help it build the metaverse responsibly.
Facebook working on ways to protect users in the metaverse, says senior executive. (2021, November 3). The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/tech/tech-news/facebook-working-on-ways-to-protect-users-in-the-metaverse-says-senior-executive