Recent patents filed by Facebook (now Meta) reveal how the company plans to generate profit from its metaverse virtual reality platform. According to the patents, Facebook plans to track everything from eye movements to nose twitches as its users explore the new platform.
The Financial Times reports that a number of patents filed by Facebook, including tech to track eye movements, body positions, nose twitching, and facial expressions, reveal how the company plans to monetize its metaverse virtual landscape.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg previously announced the company’s plans to invest $10 billion a year over the next ten years to develop the metaverse, an immersive virtual world of digital avatars powered largely by Facebook’s Oculus VR headsets. Other tech giants like Apple and Microsoft have reportedly taken notice and are developing similar projects as many believe that the virtual world could be the next step in social media.
The Financial Times noted that hundreds of applications to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office provide an insight into how Facebook plans to monetize the digital world. The firm reportedly plans to use hyper-targeted advertising and sponsored content within the virtual world to drive revenue, following a similar model that helped it build an $85 billion per year advertising platform.
Users will reportedly also be able to purchase items in a “virtual store” in the metaverse which will correspond with real-world goods sponsored by brands. Facebook’s head of global affairs Nick Clegg recently stated: “For us, the business model in the metaverse is commerce-led. Clearly, ads play a part in that.”
Other patents focus on technology, including eye and face tracking tech that will be collected in a headset using tiny cameras or sensors. These can be used to target ads towards a person, placing ads where their eyes are most commonly drawn to, but could also be used for features like full-body tracking allowing them to move every limb of their digital avatar in the metaverse.
One patent describes a system for tracking facial expressions through a headset and then serving the users “adapt media content” based on the expressions.
This report come shortly after Breitbart News reported that Facebook’s VR division is under investigation by the FTC and multiple U.S. states led by New York. Third-party Oculus app developers have been questioned by the FTC in recent months, according to sources.
Read more at the Financial Times here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or email him at lnolan@breitbart.com