Governing Virtual Wonderland

Edited by Mark Findlay, Distinguished Fellow, British Institute of International and Comparative Law, and Honorary Professorial Fellow, Law School, University of Edinburgh, UK, Noha Lea Halim, Doctoral Candidate and Sofie Schönborn, Doctoral Candidate, Department of Governance, Technical University of Munich, Germany

‘What would the metaverse look like if we could actively shape its governance? This book answers that question from every angle. It does so in a style that is refreshingly accessible, transforming a dry topic into something thrilling. It is a rare take on governance that excites me enough to feel optimistic about a responsible digital world. By using Alice’s journey through the (Wonder-) Metaverseland, the authors are able to explain rather complex, and quite frankly boring, concepts and aspects of tech governance into a fun and relatable story, making it accessible to both, younger and older generations. Although most of us grew up with Alice’s adventures, this new take on Wonderland and the intersection of the Metaverse and real life feel both fictional and startlingly realistic. Yet the innovative ideas proposed and debates showcased on how to govern such an old/new world often left me wondering how our digital world could look like if more young minds were in the shoes of many decision makers.

• ContentsList of contributors viiiAcknowledgements xiii1 Introduction 1Noha Lea Halim and Sofie SchönbornPART I DOWN THE DIGITAL RABBITHOLE: IDENTITY,REPRESENTATION AND GENDER – WHO AM I,WHO ARE WE?Introduction to part I 14Noha Lea Halim and Sofie Schönborn2 Alice meets herself and others: understanding the relevanceof diverse representation, identification, and immersiveexperience in the Metaverse 17Bethany Rhea Thomas and Auxane Boch3 Alice between gendered violence and empowerment:implications for a feminist metaverse 39Nikola Szirota4 Wonderland rebooted: Alice’s gaming odyssey in theMetaverse 57Auxane Boch and Bethany Rhea ThomasPART II NEGOTIATIONS ON GOVERNANCE, POWER ANDAGENCY – WHO PLAYS BY WHAT RULESIntroduction to part II 77Noha Lea Halim and Sofie Schönborn5 Virtual selves, real consequences: understanding power in ahybrid world 81Daniel Matter6 AI on trial – exploring agency, accountability, and legalpersonhood in a digital wonderland 95Darius Torabi7 Debating virtual wonderland: individual agency,responsibility, and emerging questions for metaversegovernance 112David Torabi8 Echo without echoes: a creator’s paradox 135Ivan DaldossPART III AND WHAT REMAINS? PRIVACY, ANONYMITYAND LEGAL PROTECTIONSIntroduction to part III 137Noha Lea Halim and Sofie Schönborn9 Through the Looking Glass: AI as an inventor in the Metaverse 140Konstantinos Tsakiliotis10 Virtual jurisdictions and data protection in cross-borderarbitration: a comparative analysis of India and Switzerland inthe age of the Metaverse 157Somya Singh11 Are we at risk of Alice in Wonderland syndrome? 189Mark FindlayPART IV TECHNOLOGIES OF POSSIBILITY:EMANCIPATION AND EMBODIMENTIntroduction to part IV 194Noha Lea Halim and Sofie Schönborn12 The chaos of blockchain-based dispute resolutionmechanisms: lessons learnt from the Queen’s croquet inWonderland 197Narges Keshavarz Bahadori13 Touching wonderland: the emancipatory power of haptics inthe Metaverse 220Jonathan Fiene and Philipp MüllerPART V BACK UP THE DIGITAL RABBIT HOLEIntroduction to part V 232Noha Lea Halim and Sofie Schönborn14 Dreaming on the riverbank – governance and power? 233Mark Findlay15 A kaleidoscope of ideas and perspectives about the Metaverse 247