China government says virtual idols are just as bad as real human ones

The Chinese government has issued a state-sanctioned report warning internet companies to be cautious when seeking to deploy so-called "virtual idols" - synthetic celebrities intended to gain large human fan bases - in the possibly-forthcoming digital metaverse. In its report published to the QQ platform on Monday , The People's Daily Online Public Opinion Data Center, part of state mouthpiece The People's Daily, warns of "inherent risks" in the metaverse market. Aimed at creators of virtual singers and video streamers, the report warns of capital manipulation and monopoly tension in the metaverse, a theme described by GlobalData social media research…