Metaverse Safety Week 2022 was the event’s second edition, a five-day series of keynotes and panels bringing together policymakers, technologists, healthcare professionals, child safety advocates, and creators to examine the metaverse’s early-stage risks and opportunities. https://metaversesafetyweek.org/2022-edition/
Day 1, December 10, opened on International Human Rights Day with “Human Rights in the Metaverse,” marking the 74th Human Rights Day. Sessions explored the case for new frameworks like immersive rights and neurorights, and featured a closing keynote from Lorraine Finlay, Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner, on centering human rights in metaverse design.
Day 2, December 12, covered Digital Culture, Arts, and Media, examining how virtual economies, NFTs, and web3 creator ecosystems are reshaping digital culture — and the privacy, security, and ethical safeguards needed as brands and creators build within them.
Day 3, December 13, focused on Child Safety and Children’s Rights, bringing together youth policy advocates, legislators, and parents to discuss the risks immersive technologies pose to children, including a keynote from U.S. Representative Lori Trahan and a closing address by Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, on intentional design principles for child safety.
Day 4, December 14, addressed Medical XR and Immersive Healthcare, examining how VR and immersive technologies are being applied to treatment, surgery, and rehabilitation, with sessions covering clinical research from Cedars-Sinai, global standards development, blockchain’s role in patient data protection, and healthcare data privacy in a post-Roe v. Wade legal landscape.
Day 5, December 15, closed the week with Policy, Trust, and Governance, convening government officials, regulators, and industry executives to discuss pragmatic governance frameworks for the metaverse — including national security implications and the role of global regulators in shaping a rights-respecting digital future.