A former employee of Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:FB) says the company's metaverse may not be able to ensure a safe environment and will come with all the ill effects associated with the sponsor's flagship Facebook social media platform.
What Happened: If Meta does not make good on the "safety-by-design" promise for the metaverse, it could mean a repeat of all the harms currently seen on Facebook, former Facebook product manager Frances Haugen said, as reported by the Politico.
Haugen last year released a number of documents that alleged Facebook's inaction against users' "harmful behavior," and claimed the Mark Zuckerberg-led company prioritized profits over safety.
For the metaverse to work, sensors and microphones may have to be installed in homes, offices and public places to collect data and replicate every move of individuals to create digital twins of real-world situation, Politico indicates.
"You don't really have a choice now on whether or not you want Facebook spying on you at home. We just have to trust the company to do the right thing," the whistleblower reportedly said.
Related Link: Apple Vs. Facebook: How The Race For The Metaverse Space Is Shaping Up
Why It's Important: The metaverse works through virtual/augmented reality, machine learning and AI, and these behavior-learning technologies can collect a huge amount of personal data.
A recent survey by NordVPN showed that 87% of the respondents were worried about their privacy if Meta goes ahead and is successful in creating a metaverse. Among the major fears expressed were susceptibility to hackers impersonating as others, misuse of the harvested data and identity protection.
In premarket trading, Facebook shares were edging up 0.21% to $214.60.
