Horizon Worlds, Facebook’s “metaverse” is now available in France

The CEO of Facebook (Meta), Mark Zuckerberg, announced on Tuesday, August 16, the arrival of his “metaverse” Horizon Worlds in France and Spain.

It is through a photo that represents his avatar, in front of virtual versions of the Eiffel Tower and what the Sagrada Familia seems to represent that the head of the company made him known.

This “social” platform is only accessible to owners of an Oculus Quest headset. It is more or less a “sandbox” platform, where everyone can meet, discuss, listen to a concert or participate in virtual activities. We discussed orally through a headset.

Users can also, since April, open “shops” there to sell virtual items, such as clothing for their avatar. Meta also charges a high commission for these items, just under 50%.

The moderation noted

Horizon Worlds has been available since 2021 in the United States, where as of February Meta claimed around 300,000 monthly active users. Its opening in France and Spain was planned, and other countries will soon follow.

Normally reserved for adults, the platform has consistently raised fears since its implementation in the United States. These concerns, mainly related to lack of moderation, turned out to be justified when several people, in particular users, indicated that they had been sexually harassed or assaulted there.

Several testimonies also indicate the presence of minors, who may then be exposed to possible predators. To address these concerns, Meta has implemented a social distancing system that can be activated at the user’s discretion.

Privacy advocates have also pointed to the risk of further collection of personal data by the company, which is already widely supervised in this regard. A Facebook executive himself described the metaverse as a “toxic” place, especially for women and minorities, if moderation wasn’t up to scratch.