Current legal issues of regulation of public relations in the constantly operating virtual space of the metaverse

Introduction. The digital environment has firmly taken the position of an essential component of public and government relations. It determines the effectiveness and competitiveness of many fields and institutions. Today, a significant part of the scientific discourse, one way or another, revolves around digital technologies. This is evident in various branches of knowledge and does not bypass jurisprudence, where the relationship between the theoretical and practical components of this topic is clearly traced.

Purpose. Analyzing existing legal problems, highlighting new challenges and threats, and developing recommendations based on them on the specifics of legal regulation of public relations in the permanent virtual space of the metaverse.

Materials and methods. The methodological basis of the research was made up of general and special methods of scientific cognition: dialectical; historical; formal-logical, including deduction, induction, analysis and synthesis, abstraction, extrapolation, formal-legal; comparative-legal; structural-legal, the method of legal modeling, etc. Legal Tech analysis, digital conflictology and behavioral research, crowdsourcing legal research, social media and public opinion analysis were used as innovations.

Results. Jurisdiction and applicable law in the metaverse are considered. It has been demonstrated that the leveling of state borders creates difficulties in determining jurisdiction and applicable law. It is confirmed that the issues of conflict management between users from different countries remain open. It is shown that the protection of personal data in the metaverse is an important aspect. It collects a huge amount of user data, including biometric data (for example, through VR devices). This requires the development of effective legal mechanisms for the protection of personal data in accordance with the principle of the priority of human rights. It is stated that the issues of copyright, trademarks and patents in the virtual space are becoming more and more complex. The necessity of developing a legal framework for the regulation of virtual assets, taxation and fraud prevention is shown. It has been proven that human rights are under threat. New forms of discrimination, humiliation of human dignity, harassment, privacy, and many other human rights violations are emerging in the metaverse. All this requires the development of new mechanisms to protect users from such violations.

Conclusions. The necessary actions are: adaptation of existing legislation; increased state control over the regulation of the virtual economy; increased protection of intellectual property of residents of the Russian Federation; implementation of an interdisciplinary approach in the research of this scientific issue. The regulation of public relations in the metaverse requires an integrated approach, including the adaptation of existing legal norms, the development of new mechanisms for protecting the rights and freedoms of users, as well as international cooperation. Future research should be aimed at creating a stable legal framework that can effectively regulate virtual spaces and protect the interests of all participants.

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