Decentralized Metaverse: Towards a Secure, Autonomous, and Inclusive Virtual World

The metaverse is a universal and immersive virtual world, which are components of cyber-physical-social systems (CPSS). The traditional centralized approach to building a metaverse poses risks to user privacy, security, and autonomy. A growing movement towards a decentralized metaverse, built on blockchain and distributed networks, has emerged as a response. This paper presents a conceptual framework for building a de-centralized metaverse emphasising security, user autonomy, and inclusivity within situation-aware CPSS. Drawing on literature from blockchain, virtual worlds, and decentralized systems, we explore the technical and regulatory challenges that must be addressed to create a more secure, autonomous, and inclusive virtual world. Our framework highlights the importance of community-driven governance and transparent data management for building a decentralized metaverse that empowers users and promotes collaboration.