Guardians of the Metaverse: Expert Assessment of Emerging Privacy Challenges and Mitigation Strategies

Schulmeyer, Julia (2023): Guardians of the Metaverse: Expert Assessment of Emerging Privacy Challenges and Mitigation Strategies. 27th Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems, PACIS 2023, Nanchang, China, July 8-12, 2023. In: PACIS 2023 Proceedings,

Abstract

The metaverse describes persistent and interconnected 3D multi-user environments that are characterized by the fusion of physical and virtual worlds. Fueled by the rebranding of Meta, the metaverse is experiencing a resurgence and has attracted the attention of practitioners and scholars, resulting in a new wave of publications. While cutting-edge technologies offer unprecedented immersive experiences, users face new privacy situations as metaverse technologies require extensive data collection. Additionally, the spatial nature of the metaverse allows for the observation of digital footprints. This changing context of data disclosure necessitates a re-evaluation of privacy. Building on the Multidimensional Development Theory as an overarching framework, I conducted 35 expert interviews, resulting in 16 emerging privacy challenges and corresponding privacy protection measures. With these findings, this paper contributes to research on today’s metaverse by empirically investigating privacy as a crucial aspect and providing practical recommendations for organizations to mitigate negative user reactions

• Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
• Keywords: Metaverse ; privacy ; multidimensional development theory ; expert interviews
• Faculties: Munich School of Management > Institute for Digital Management and New Media; Munich School of Management > Institute for Digital Management and New Media > Data-based business concepts
• Subjects: 300 Social sciences > 330 Economics
• Language: English