Naver Z Launches 'Safety Advisory Committee' for a Secure Metaverse Environment

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Naver Z announced on the 28th that it has launched a Safety Advisory Committee to continuously create a safe metaverse environment. Naver Z plans to establish a user protection system that meets global standards.

The Safety Advisory Committee is an external expert organization established by Naver Z to protect users. It includes key members from global organizations such as Connect Safely and InHope, which have maintained close collaboration through partnerships with Naver Z, as well as top experts from various fields including internet and youth safety, journalism, and criminology.

As a global platform used by more than 340 million people worldwide, the committee is composed of experts with diverse backgrounds, including Miguel Pontes (founder of Promundo, a nonprofit organization promoting gender equality) and Rebecca Portnoy (head of data science at Thorn, a technology organization combating online sexual exploitation).

Going forward, the Safety Advisory Committee will be guaranteed independence from Naver Z and will serve as an advisory body for the entire Zepeto platform. It will first review the appropriateness of user safety-related matters such as operational methods, policies, and technologies, providing professional advice. Additionally, it plans to strengthen Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) provisions to prevent discriminatory behavior within Zepeto and offer advice related to corporate social responsibility.

No Junyoung, head of the Safety Specialist Team at Naver Z, said, “Through the establishment of this Safety Advisory Committee, we expect Zepeto to become a fairer and more transparent platform.” He added, “As Zepeto is rapidly growing as a global metaverse platform, we will continue various efforts to protect users through close exchanges with the Safety Advisory Committee.”

Meanwhile, Naver Z is making various efforts to build a safe metaverse environment. Recently, it updated the Zepeto reporting menu to be more intuitive and has been steadily improving technologies such as obscene content detection and sexual exploitation content detection. Furthermore, it continuously updates platform guidelines such as the ‘Online Grooming Response Guidelines’ and the ‘Zepeto Guide for Guardians’ to guide users on the proper use of the metaverse platform.