• Frances Haugen is concerned about Facebook repeating all “harms” in its Metaverse version. 
• The Facebook whistleblower claims Meta will inappropriately collect users’ data and privacy in the Metaverse, just as it did with the social media app.

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen has expressed her concerns about how Meta, formally Facebook, handles information and privacy. She fears that Meta will repeat all of its past mistakes. Speaking in an interview with Politico, the whistleblower said:

They’ve made very grandiose promises about how there’s safety-by-design in the Metaverse. But if they don’t commit to transparency and access and other accountability measures, I can imagine just seeing a repeat of all the harms you currently see on Facebook.

Haugen fears about Facebook metaverse data handling

Frances Haugen’s work experience at Facebook gives her insight into the handling of private data. Due to this privilege, the whistleblower has been worried about how Meta conducts its privacy operations. Last year, Haugen released tens of thousands of internal documents from Facebook to The Wall Street Journal and the SEC. This concern fuels her fear for users’ data collation and usage in the Metaverse. Further expressing her worries, she said:

I’m super concerned about how many sensors are involved. When we do the Metaverse, we have to put lots more microphones from Facebook; lots more other kinds of sensors into our homes. You don’t really have a choice now on whether or not you want Facebook spying on you at home. We just have to trust the company to do the right thing.

Apparently, Frances Haugen is not the only person with these worries about Facebook. Studies have shown that many people do not Trust Meta on privacy matters. CEO of Proton Technologies, Andy Yen, has also stated his concerns with the monopolistic power major tech companies like Meta possess. The Entrepreneur said last week that ProtonMail would only be able to survive on the goodwill of tech giants. In 2021, Andy Yen had raised concerns about tech giants having total control of the Metaverse through their products. He posits that Meta should not be trusted with privacy matters in the Metaverse until the company changes its business model. Additionally, recent data shows that over 75 percent of the Meta community do not trust the company’s privacy maintenance on the Metaverse.

Facebook collects data in the metaverse

Supporting Andy Yen’s claims, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) agrees that Virtual Reality headsets and Augmented Reality glasses, among other devices, make data collection easier. Hence, companies can invade homes, thoughts, and lives, contrary to what the EFF represents.

The EFF prides itself on availing people’s freedom in the digital space. Therefore, it worries that data collected and used for the targeted advertisement will cause “biometric psychography.” Third parties could monetize the foundation fears that information gathered without a formal agreement.

Meanwhile, in China, the Metaverse is making rounds in diverse ways. Like Facebook, WeChat is the social media platform in China, with more than one billion user base and 850 million active users. The platform collates user information in high amounts, and the government has access to every detail and content.

In January, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) severely criticized WeChat’s privacy policy. RSF implored pressmen to protect themselves against Chinese surveillance while reporting in-situ, advising against downloading apps like WeChat and TikTok.