Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen on Wednesday said she was "extremely concerned" about the company's plans to build a "metaverse" -- a virtual reality version of the internet -- because of privacy problems.

Faced with a barrage of bad publicity due to Haugen's revelations, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced plans late last month to create a digital world where people feel as if they are face-to-face using virtual reality technology.

Speaking to the French parliament on Wednesday during a European tour, Haugen said that she was "extremely concerned about the metaverse".

Facebook "wants to fill our environment with sensors, microphones, other kinds of ways of monitoring us" and the adoption of the technology by companies would be "super problematic".

"Let's imagine you work from home and your employer decides 'I want to be a metaverse company'," she told lawmakers.

"You don't get to decide if Facebook can spy on you like you can opt out from using Facebook in your personal life," she added.

The former Facebook engineer leaked a trove of internal documents to the media that have sparked weeks of criticism of the social media giant over its impact on fragile democracies and vulnerable teens.

During her testimony to American and European lawmakers over the last month, she has insisted that Facebook chooses profit over curtailing toxic content and that the company cannot be trusted to change its ways.

Zuckerberg has hit back, saying that "the argument that we deliberately push content that makes people angry for profit is deeply illogical".

Haugen, a 37-year-old data scientist, also told the French parliament about how she had coped with the scrutiny and public exposure since identifying herself in early October as the main source of a series of explosive reports by the Wall Street Journal.

"Providing psychological support is critical for many whistleblowers," she said, adding that she had been lucky to move back to live with her mother last year because of Covid-19 lockdowns.

"My mother is a priest and I received countless hours of counselling and therapy," she said.

"Most whistleblowers don't have that level of support. Making sure that there is someone that can coach them through the process is vitally important."

Facebook reported profits of $9 billion in the July-September quarter of the year.

Peter Jackson sells special effects firm in $1.6 bn 'metaverse' deal
Wellington (AFP) Nov 10, 2021 - New Zealand film director Peter Jackson on Wednesday announced the sale of his Oscar-winning Weta Digital special effects business to a US software firm intent on using it to develop the virtual-reality "metaverse".

San Francisco-based Unity Software said the US$1.6 billion acquisition would "shape the future of the metaverse", an immersive 3D version of the internet tipped to transform workplaces and online interactions.

The firm said Weta's technology -- used in blockbusters such as "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "Avatar" -- would allow its subscribers to create their own ultra-realistic corner of a virtual world.

"We are thrilled to democratise these industry-leading tools and bring the genius of Sir Peter Jackson and Weta's amazing engineering talent to life for artists everywhere," Unity president John Riccitiello said in a statement.

Under the deal, Unity takes over Wellington-based Weta Digital's technology and engineering assets while Jackson retains majority ownership of a standalone film effects company called WetaFX.

Jackson said the opportunity to use Weta's ground-breaking programmes was a "game-changer" for those working in creative industries.

"Together, Unity and Weta Digital can create a pathway for any artist, from any industry, to be able to leverage these incredibly creative and powerful tools," he said.

The metaverse is expected to develop into an online platform that makes virtual experiences -- such as chatting with a friend or attending a concert -- feel face-to-face.

It grabbed headlines last month when Facebook changed its parent company name to "Meta" to reflect founder Mark Zuckerberg's commitment to the concept.

Zuckerberg's firm has announced plans to hire 10,000 people in the European Union to build the metaverse, but other tech players are also scrambling to stake a claim in the online world.

The technology might, for example, allow someone to don virtual reality glasses that make it feel as if they're face-to-face with a friend -- when in fact they are thousands of miles apart and connected via the internet.

"The metaverse has the potential to help unlock access to new creative, social, and economic opportunities. And Europeans will be shaping it right from the start," Facebook said in a blog post.

Zuckerberg predicted in July that Facebook will transition from "primarily being a social media company to being a metaverse company" over the next five years.

Facebook bought Oculus, a company that makes virtual reality headsets, for $2 billion in 2014 and has since been developing Horizon, a digital world where people can interact using VR technology.

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Indian star Kamal Haasan to launch metaverse avatar
Mumbai (AFP) Nov 8, 2021
Film superstar Kamal Haasan is set to become the first Indian actor to launch an avatar in the "metaverse" as celebrities seek to expand their fan base into the virtual world. Haasan, who turned 67 on Sunday, said in a statement on his birthday that he was "excited to explore the emerging intersection of the digital and physical world". He added that he planned to auction virtual memorabilia in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) at an unspecified time. Celebrity NFT platform Fantico will ... read more