All threats from the metaverse to China
We publish an extract of the paper "Metaverse and National Security Internet 3.0 and the New Digital World Order" by Fabio Vanorio for the Italian Institute of Strategic Studies Niccolò Machiavelli
A study by the Chinese CICIR (2021), in dealing with the national security risks that the metaverse could bring, mentions neither terrorism, nor HUMINT or SIGINT hostile operations. The threat to China relates to technological supremacy and the possibility of having to suffer systemic disadvantage.
In the Chinese view, the technological features and development patterns of the metaverse reveal national security implications that are reflected in three types of vulnerabilities (1) in terms of technological hegemony, (2) of technological security, and (3) of paradigm shift technological. On November 11, China launched its first industrial group in the sector, the Metaverse Industry Committee, including the Institute of Engineering and Technology of IOT, Central Chain Global, Metaverse Lab and other companies, research institutes and experts, under the state oversight of the China Mobile Communications Association (CMCA). During the inaugural ceremony, the metaverse was called an important trend to be grasped in China's achievement of global technological supremacy.
The deep integration of the digital and real economy behind the metaverse fits perfectly with China's stated strategic goals for its digital economy. The government views data as a factor of production, and has erected a new legal infrastructure to ensure sweeping control over technology companies' data. Last October, Chinese leader Xi Jinping urged people to consider the importance of integrating the digital and the real economy.
As can be seen from the histogram, Chinese technology companies have started to invest heavily in the sector. Social media giant Tencent said it has the ability to establish itself in the industry by hoping for state support in its efforts. Video game company NetEase and Google's Chinese counterpart, Baidu , have also begun registering brands related to the metaverse. According to industry research from Bloomberg , the metaverse market size is expected to reach $ 800 billion by 2024 and about $ 2.5 trillion by 2030, while PwC said the metaverse will reach $ 1.5 trillion by 2030. 2030. In this context of explosive potential returns in the virtual universe sector, the acceleration of Beijing and the priority attributed to success in the new race for technological supremacy as an objective of safeguarding national security suggest the desire to act as a "guide" in the implementation of international norms and standards in the creation of the "new digital world order" in the coming years.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/tutte-le-minacce-provenienti-dal-metaverso-per-la-cina/ on Mon, 28 Mar 2022 06:08:52 +0000.