The real world as augmented metaverse (coming transformations of law)

Occupation: Head of the Computer Law and Information Security Chair, Supreme State Audit School (Faculty), Lomonosov Moscow State University
Affiliation: Lomonosov Moscow State University
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow

Svetlana Polubinskaya

Occupation: Leading Researcher, Department of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and Criminology, Institute of State and Law of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Affiliation: Institute of State and Law of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow

Journal name

Gosudarstvo i pravo

Edition

Issue 11

Pages

155-169

Abstract

This article deals with legal issues of metaverse – a new digital environment that uses virtual and augmented/extended reality technologies. With further developments, virtual worlds could become widely accessible in the foreseeable future and provide new opportunities in education, healthcare, economics and other areas of public and social life. Experts predict that the economy within metaverse will exceed the size of the real world economy fast. Along with positive, metaverse also has negative sides including increase of current risks associated with use of information and communication technologies and emergence of new ones dealing with security and privacy of users’ personal data and effective counteraction to cybercrimes. In this regard, the authors underscore the importance of legal regulation of metaverse and management of novel risks, also in the field of legal regulation concerning application of the underlying highly complex technologies. Principles and rules to regulate relations in metaverse should be developed the sooner the better and in prospect of further developments, because in the near future they could have a significant impact on the law of real world. The authors introduce the concepts of “observation” and “observer”, which formalize in legal context the idea of a legal view and discuss possible – depending on the position of the observer – approaches to the legal framework of metaverse governance, virtual law and its relationships with the real world law.

Keywords

metaverse, virtual reality, augmented/extended reality, information and communication technologies, Internet, virtual objects, personal data, privacy, virtual crimes, observer

Received

04.07.2023

Publication date

04.12.2023

Number of characters

47915

Cite

GOST	Baturin Y., Polubinskaya S. The real world as augmented metaverse (coming transformations of law) // Gosudarstvo i pravo – 2023. – Issue 11 C. 155-169 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://gospravo-journal.ru/S102694520028493-3-1 (circulation date: 25.03.2025). DOI: 10.31857/S102694520028493-3
MLA	Baturin, Yuri M, Polubinskaya, Svetlana "The real world as augmented metaverse (coming transformations of law)." Gosudarstvo i pravo 11 (2023):155-169. DOI: 10.31857/S102694520028493-3
APA	Baturin Y., Polubinskaya S. (2023). The real world as augmented metaverse (coming transformations of law). Gosudarstvo i pravo (11), pp.155-169 DOI: 10.31857/S102694520028493-3

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