Activities of Niklas NIENASS related to 2022/2198(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on virtual worlds – opportunities, risks and policy implications for the single market
Amendments (8)
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
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1. Believes that virtual worlds or ‘metaverses’ are a major step forward in the din important technologitcal transitiondevelopment, and that they can be defineunderstood as a simulation of real- time, immersive 3D or 2D spaces in which users can interact;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
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2. Calls for the EU to adopt a comprehensive human-centric strategy for virtual worlds, building on the strengths of its industry to overcome the hardware and software challenges, while harnessing the innovation and progress of the video game industrywhich can adequately protect users' rights to privacy and data protection while addressing different forms of online harm and exploitation, especially for minors including addiction and hateful speech, recommends any virtual world technology to undergo thorough fundamental rights impact assessments before being introduced in the single market;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
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3. Calls for the EU, in view of the strategic autonomy considerations raised by virtual worlds, to ensure substantial to ensure adequate investment in this field; notes that the Horizon Europe and Creative Europe programmes both fund augmented and virtual reality projects; points out, however, that the budgets of these programmes are inadequate to foster a real EU strategy for immersive technologies;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
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4. Emphasises the importance of developing metaverses for the EU’s cultural and creative ecosystems, as new spaces for creativity and expression, which can ultimately lead to human flourishing; insists on ensuring thsociety-wide accessibility of metaverses in order to make them truly democratic spaces; , especially for vulnerable groups of society, with particular attention on minors, elderly, and people with low levels of digital literacy; acknowledges the importance of giving users adequate means to seek and obtain redress from online harm taking place in virtual worlds;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
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5. States that virtual worlds can significantly impact education and research by transforming how we acquire knowledge; stresses that metaverses can allow for, especially through better visualisation of educational content, increased possibilities foras well as increase collaboration between learners and enhanced distance and lifelong learning; highlights that public and societal interests must be prioritized when developing any comprehensive strategy on virtual worlds, especially on education;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion
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5a. Notes that ‘metaverses’ or virtual worlds are currently in the hands of few established market players and that, as such, they are subject to monopolistic tendencies and market concentration; understands that decentralization is a necessary precondition for any rights- preserving and human-centric virtual world;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
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6. Stresses that an EU strategy for virtual worlds must go hand in hanmust be aligned with an appropriate framework tohat ensures the protection and promotion of intellectual property; notes that most intellectual property systems in the metaverse are based on blockchain technology, and believ rights while promoting artistic creativity; notes that non-fungible tokens can represent a new source of revenue for the EU’'s cultural ecosystem if accompanied with sufficient and adequate standards that address speculative tendencies in crypto markets, as well as addressing their current adverse environmental impact; highlights that current market tendencies in crypto markets are characterized by high levels of market centralization.
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
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6a. Notes that current metaverses and ancillary technologies, in particular blockchain and NFTs, are currently characterized by extremely high levels of energy consumption; stresses that any EU strategy for the virtual worlds must address the environmental impact of these new technologies, especially in regards to energy consumption, in order to be future proof and sustainable in the long term; recommends these technologies to be subject to adequate environmental risk assessments before being placed in the single market and to be accompanied with energy labels that can make consumers aware of their environmental impact.