Metaverse Competition Issues Need Addressing, EU Antitrust Chief Says

The EU’s antitrust chief, Margrethe Vestager, wants to ensure healthy competition exists within metaverses as the European Commission prepares to publish a strategy for online virtual worlds in May.

“It is already time for us to start asking what healthy competition should look like in the metaverse,” Vestager, who is European Commissioner for competition and digital affairs, said at an event in Brussels according to a published text. She also referred to the impact of artificial intelligence service ChatGPT.

The EU has recently legislated to stop online giants such as Meta from blocking smaller rivals, and officials have already queried whether the metaverse will need specific protections for competition, as well as discrimination and safety.

Read more: EU Metaverse Policy Should Consider Discrimination, Safety, Data Controls: Commission Official