South Korea’s government is working on a system for blockchain-based online voting and has also introduced guidelines on fundamental ethical principles for participants in Metaverse projects.
South Korea’s Ministry of Science and Information and Communications Technology plans to create a system for online voting based on distributed ledger technology as part of a government project to introduce innovation in public services. This was reported by local media, citing a press release.
The ministry believes that blockchain technology’s inherent properties of transparency and unchangeability, as well as the absence of intermediaries and the elimination of vote-count manipulation, will improve the quality of the country’s electoral process. According to the press release, researchers have already spent $1.1 million on blockchain voting technology and plan to increase spending in 2023.
The country also plans to create a blockchain platform for citizen research papers and other academic data. Its launch will make it easier to authenticate applicants’ educational qualifications when hiring and reduce fraud. It is also planned to introduce blockchain technologies in the mechanisms of subsidy management.
The Ministry of Science and ICT also paid attention to the Metaverse sector, presenting a guide on basic ethical principles for users and developers of Metaverse projects. It was based on three key values:
- self-identity preservation;
- safe enjoyment;
- sustainable prosperity.
The core values are to be supported by authenticity, autonomy, reciprocity, respect for privacy, fairness, data protection, inclusivity, and responsibility for the future.
The ethical principles presented are not legally binding, but ministry representatives urged Metaverse participants to abide by them. Previously, there have been cases of minors being sexually harassed and abused in the Metaverse in South Korea. In response, South Korean Congress members have amended legislation that deals with sexual offenses to include penalties for unlawful sexual acts between virtual avatars.
Recall that in February 2022, the South Korean government announced plans to invest $1.8 billion in the Metaverse sector. Later, it became known about the government’s plans to speed up the adoption of crypto legislation and introduce digital IDs based on blockchain technology.
