Meta officially introduces its new metaverse ID system
Meta, formerly Facebook, has officially named Meta Accounts and Meta Horizon Profiles. The global launch will be gradual, but both “accounts” will be used in place of individual social media account logins — Facebook and Instagram — once used to log into the company’s virtual reality (VR) system.
New and old users of Meta’s VR devices must sign up for a Meta account to log in and access the Metaverse. The company is ditching the old way of logging in after privacy complaints arose over the use of personal social media accounts.
However, the company still allows users to use Facebook and Instagram accounts to create Meta accounts, the company said. If an individual chooses to create their Meta account through their social media accounts, they will be connected to the Accounts Center, a central hub for connected experiences in Meta.
Although the company encourages users to connect through a Meta account, those using Oculus Login will be allowed to log in this way until January 1, 2023.
As customers transfer, the company claims they will “still have access to all their previous VR purchases and downloads.”
While Meta-Run doesn’t require connecting social media accounts, the company is still offering it as an option. The company claims that the connection will enable more experiences in the Metaverse, such as livestream sharing, messaging and finding followers faster.
One must have the Oculus app and the latest software on the VR headset to even begin the process of creating a Meta account.
In addition to the Meta Account, the “Meta Horizon Profile” will replace the Oculus Account once used. The profile will be the home page for all things Avatar-based and will be considered social media for the Metaverse. The company once used the term “friends” in the Metaverse but will now consider them “followers” — giving the Horizon World platform an Instagram feel.
As privacy remains an issue for the tech giant, Meta Accounts will offer three options for users — “Open to Everyone,” “Friends and Family” and “Solo” — all of which have different effects on who can connect and see. one’s account. If the user chooses to skip the privacy setup, they will default to “Friends and Family”. Users will also have the option to set their Horizon profile as private, which requires users to accept follow requests.
Accounts for minors between the ages of 13 and 17 will be set to private by default.
For now, accounts are only tied to VR-related logins, but that doesn’t mean Meta won’t expand this feature in the future.
