Is There a First Amendment Right to Assemble in the Metaverse?

upstart writes:

Is there a First Amendment right to assemble in the metaverse?:

In front of Samsung's headquarters this February, dozens of protesters marched in red shirts with "MoneyFestation" written on the front, holding signs that say, "I Have A Scream."

The shirt was designed by Azerbaijani poet and artist Babi Badalov. Combining the words money, infestation, and manifestation, Badalov and supporters were rallying to criticize rampant capitalism and consumerism.

But the protest didn't take place in the Samsung headquarters in South Korea; instead, it was at their digital headquarters in the virtual town of Decentraland within the depths of the metaverse.

The protesters were digital avatars, and their shirts were minted non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that were distributed among the protesters for free as a commentary on the commodification of art.

[...] Schweiger said the group was protesting big tech companies that are encroaching on what is supposed to be decentralized, digital land.

Corporations such as Samsung act in contradiction to the decentralization of the internet, which Superflus sees as a major actor in "colonizing [the metaverse], bringing along consumerism, (digital) inequality, exclusion, and extraction."

[...] The new and exciting ways to protest in the metaverse also bring a new set of challenges and concerns. As extended reality technology continues to develop and become more ubiquitous, there are questions about human rights within virtual reality.

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