In an attempt to stop the metaverse from growing as a rambling digital space, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has announced that it will form a working group to set metaverse standards.
China’s latest regulatory effort aims to speed up the process of setting standards for the metaverse and keep up with the international pace of development, according to MIIT.
The ministry is wary of the metaverse’s potential to be a breeding ground for privacy violations, identity theft, pyramid schemes, online violence and poor information security and is now focused on making sure that doesn’t happen.
According to the MIIT, “Some capital and enterprises have taken advantage of the popularity of the metaverse to speculate, resulting in its concept far from the actual value, which restricts the development of the metaverse industry to a certain extent.”
The working group that’s being tasked with setting up the metaverse standards will include a diverse range of experts, from corporate leaders to scientific researchers to metaverse pioneers.
Developing fundamental standards
This working group will focus on developing fundamental metaverse standards, such as terminology, reference architectures, identity systems, digital content generation and cross-domain interoperability.
Developing metaverse standards for industrial manufacturing is also one of the main focuses of the working group. MIIT previously stated that the development of the industrial metaverse, specifically, will revolutionise the manufacturing industry, which it says is one of the key pillars of new industrialisation.
MIIT’s statement was made as part of its three-year plan for the nascent metaverse, which identifies it as one of several key technologies in which China aims to be a global leader. As such, setting standards for the metaverse is a top priority.
The Ministry also released a three-point action plan for the metaverse, which focuses on improving the industrial standard system, enhancing innovation support capabilities and building world-class infrastructure.
China has prioritised its metaverse ambitions for a while now as its largest telecom provider China Mobile also recently established an industry alliance within the metaverse that comprises prominent names from the country’s technology sector to enhance the progress of metaverse development in China.
Isa Muhammad is a writer and video game journalist covering many aspects of entertainment media including the film industry. He's steadily writing his way to the sharp end of journalism and enjoys staying informed. If he's not reading, playing video games or catching up on his favourite TV series, then he's probably writing about them.
