AI Expert: ‘China Mobile’s Work in the UN Is Particularly Concerning Because It Could Shape Norms around the World’

A Chinese state-owned company has submitted proposals to the UN for digital ID requirements for the metaverse. Bill Drexel, an associate fellow for the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), warned that allowing the Chinese government to have a hand in shaping global metaverse regulations could lead to a tyrannical future for virtual users.

"China is not unique in thinking about how to govern the metaverse, but its drive to control, censor and repress its population online should give the world pause for any of its efforts to do so, especially in multilateral fora," Drexel said in an interview with Federal Newswire. "Based on how the Chinese government already leverages new technologies to bolster its authoritarianism online and offline, we should expect that its attempts to push stringent identity regulations on the metaverse will only result in a more authoritarian digital future if successful. China Mobile’s work in the UN is particularly concerning because it could shape norms around the world, accelerating Beijing’s longstanding aim to make a ‘world safe for autocracy."

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