“Towards a new ethical and responsible web? ". This is the debate led during the 2nd edition of We Are French Touch in the presence of three representatives of the “web economy”: Martin Signoux (Meta), Louis Cacciuttolo (VRrOOm) and Lucie-Eléonore Riveron (NFT Factory).

Is the new web ethical and responsible? If the question could already be asked in the 90s with the birth of the Internet, it became clearer with the appearance of social networks which marked the advent of web2. With the arrival of web3 and new tools such as cryptocurrencies, NFTs and blockchains, the question arises again.

The web3 is an evolution of the Internet where digital property is made possible. It must be distinguished from metaverse and immersive technologies. " Blockchain, NFT and augmented reality are too often lumped together, whereas it is NFTs that allow this ownership as well as the transfer of ownership. NFTs are the cornerstone of web3. asks Lucie-Eléonore Riveron straight away. This former auction house manager now runs the NFT Factory. Located opposite the Center Pompidou in Paris, this place precisely defends the principles of Web3. This evolution of the Internet has allowed a real revolution in different sectors such as the world of contemporary art for example. " In my old profession, I had never seen a single work of digital art sell, she testifies. At the time, there was almost no market except for a few very rare digital art collectors, simply because there was no marketing tool. While NFTs did not invent digital art, they do allow it to be commercialized. They created scarcity in an infinitely repeatable digital world ».

Towards a capitalism 3.0?

First question asked on this round table: is the web3 leading us towards a capitalism 3.0? " This was based on the ideology of cyberpunks who advocated absolute decentralization, confirms Lucie Eléonore Riveron. We know, for example, that they invented bitcoins to do without banks. ". However, the invention of full ownership on the web, including immaterial property, also benefits the Internet user. On the web3, the latter no longer has the obligation to disclose his identity. He is represented by his wallet ", that is to say a digital wallet, which plays the role of identity card, bank card, safe... It thus makes it possible to have a digital identity almost disconnected from the identity physical. " The Internet user becomes the owner of his data She says.

With web3, we therefore become familiar with the notion of “pseudonymity”. If no trace of identity is possible, how can we imagine, in this context, a more ethical and responsible web? “Real regulation of the web3 community takes place naturally,” continues Lucie Eléonore Riveron. We cannot do anything since the blockchain is transparent by definition.” For his part, the founder of VRrOOm, Louis Cacciuttolo presents the concrete case of his live performance platform. “VRrOOm is a member of a Californian think tank that reflects on all potential physical or virtual excesses. Aggression, racism, etc. There are also other watchdog entities such as the XR National Council (an organization that aims to federate, structure and develop a French sector of excellence in immersive technologies, editor's note) in France through which it is possible to integrate moderation tools into our platform. Without forgetting of course the traceability of the data which, even if they are not exploited, can be used in certain cases ". Louis Cacciuttolo, also evokes stories of harassment or sexual assault on avatars in the metaverse. There is already on certain platforms the possibility of acquiring “ of a circle of intimacy “, he recalls. The avatar can thus decide for itself the distance which separates it from another.

Towards a web without intermediary?

Another subject that web3 puts on the table: disintermediation. Can we imagine a web where we would do without intermediaries and where the Internet user would ultimately manage his own data? " This is the interest of NFT since it allows decentralization which allows the content creator to be in direct contact with the consumer. This guarantees sustainability. », Intervenes Lucie-Eleonore Riveron. For example: instead of going through Spotify or Deezer to listen to music, the web3 platform connects the artist directly to the consumer by taking a commission. The music belongs to whoever bought it. " Whereas if Deezer or Spotify go out of business, you lose all your content “, she observes.

This was an opportunity for Martin Signoux, public affairs manager at Meta, to raise the question of interoperability: " The interest of interoperability is that if you consume music on an "X" platform and this platform disappears you will be able to switch your data to the "Y" platform in a snap of your fingers. ". But will the platforms play the game of this interoperability since their goal is to keep users captive as much as possible, questions the journalist moderator Raphaël Bloch (The Big Whale). " If today you ask Instagram to be interoperable with Twitter, it is no longer possible because the protocols and formats used are not the same, explains Martin Signoux. The vision that Meta defends on these new immersive spaces is precisely to be able to bring interested players together sufficiently in advance around a table in order to create these standards facilitating this interoperability. » Last June Meta thus joined the « Metaverse Standard Forum “Initiated in particular by Epic Games. This forum, which initially brought together twenty companies and ten standardization bodies campaigning for this interoperability, currently has around 1 players.

Towards a carbon-neutral web?

Finally, we cannot talk about an ethical and responsible web without mentioning the themes of energy consumption and the digital footprint. For the founder of VRrOOm, this is a major project that concerns a lot of players: “ Everyone must bring their stone to the building. As far as VRrOOm is concerned, we try to optimize the size and weight of our content and to work with more “green” servers than others. It's the trend anyway and we can't escape it: our audience, which is extremely young, is on the lookout for any drift and exaggeration on these subjects. Lucie Eléonore Riveron confirms that since September Ethereum, the largest NFT support blockchain, has switched to a much less energy-consuming protocol. " A transaction on Ethereum is the equivalent of sending an email without an attachment", explains the one for whom digital represents above all an opportunity "since it makes it possible to reduce the ecological impact of other uses. ».

The manager of Meta, which would have achieved carbon neutrality in 2020 (scopes 1 and 2, that is to say without taking into account the indirect emissions covered by scope 3), agrees with her on this point: “ The Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, which has studied the use of immersive technologies in certain industries, concludes that by improving the process of prototyping products using immersive technologies, the "ultimate" impact is positive on emissions. So we must not oppose digital use, and even less that of immersive technologies, to the environmental impact. There is a real possibility of having an energy gain behind ».