Towards a Secured, Interoperable, and Ethical Metaverse

Smartphones, the Internet, Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and social media platforms are ubiquitous in today's world. People of all ages are often seen with their heads bent, looking at their smart devices wherever they are. Now we interact with each other more digitally than in person. There are pros and cons within a society operating and interacting with such technologies. Individuals can connect with family members, friends, and peers no matter the location for an easier personal connection. With so much time spent on smart devices, the idea of a metaverse emerged. The metaverse is the concept of living in a virtual world without face-to-face contact. The idea of the metaverse involves interacting with others without having to leave the comfort of one's home. Connecting society in such a large and abstract way comes with immense challenges, such as security, privacy, large-scale interoperability, and ethics. Interoperability involves techniques to assist technologies in interacting with one another efficiently and safely. A virtual universe will face several interoperability challenges, such as supporting an interactive Virtual Reality while maintaining security and privacy. Additionally, users must be protected by ethical rules in this virtual world. This paper discusses these challenges and possible solutions.