The AP Interview: Facebook whistleblower fears the metaverse

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen says she fears the impact of the metaverse that the social media giant has rebranded to focus on delivering

BRUSSELS -- Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen said she fears the impact of the metaverse that the social media giant has rebranded to focus on delivering, saying the futuristic virtual reality world would force people to give up more of their personal information, be addicting and give the embattled company another monopoly in the online world.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday as she makes a series of appearances before European lawmakers drawing up rules for social media companies, Haugen said her former employer has rushed to prioritize the metaverse because “if you don’t like the conversation, you try to change the conversation."

“Facebook should have a transparency plan for the metaverse before they start building all this stuff, because they can hide behind a wall, they keep making unforced errors, they keep making things that prioritize their own profits before safety," she said.

The metaverse is sort of the internet brought to life, or at least rendered in 3D. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has described it as a “virtual environment” you can go inside of — instead of just looking at on a screen — and refocused the company's business model on the futuristic virtual reality world, including renaming the company Meta. People can meet, work and play, using virtual reality headsets, augmented reality glasses, smartphone apps or other devices.