A new internet safety rule that covers the metaverse was just approved by British parliamentarians. The Online Safety Bill, which was presented last March, stipulates that businesses must determine the possibility that customers will encounter illegal information and that minors will encounter stuff that could be detrimental to them.
According to a government press release, businesses must also devise solutions to reduce these hazards, a mandate that is anticipated to increase both freedom and safety online.
The growth of the metaverse, a collection of virtual worlds, made necessary the extension of the Online Safety Bill to virtual spaces in the eyes of U.K. politicians. This is in part due to Facebook’s dramatic rebranding to Meta.
“The metaverse is in scope of the bill,” said Lord Stephen Parkinson, a member of the upper house of Parliament and a minister at the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport, during a discussion of the legislation in July. “As noble Lords know, the bill has been designed to be technology neutral and future-proofed to ensure that it keeps pace with emerging technologies.”
Unless a later date is specified, it must now be accepted by King Charles and will go into effect right away