The EU legal obligations of very large platforms providing digital services in the age of the metaverse

Abstract

The main technology companies are in the race to conquer the metaverse. The digital world is an augmented virtual reality environment that tries to recreate the analogic world. The dynamics were simple: the user uses all kinds of devices to achieve an immersive experience. The objective in this world is that the user could accomplish his / her life project. Thus, in the European Union, the EU legislator considers that our legal system will be ready to regulate this new activity using the new package of measures on digital services still in the negotiation phase. In this paper, we focus on the study of the “Digital Services Act”, which aims to establish a set of responsibilities and a clear framework of accountability and transparency for providers of intermediation services. We analyse its content, the scope of application, and its potential development, considering all the aspects that metaverse involves in the short term.