Toppan Printing launches trial on avatar authentication in metaverse

Japanese printing company Toppan Printing is jointly conducting a trial with mobile portals and e-commerce websites provider DeNA on granting and proving the authenticity of avatars in the metaverse. 

The trial will take place in “Mobage 3D Park,” a social networking platform operated by DeNA which pre-opened on November 7, and will focus on avatars used there, Toppan Printing said.

While the metaverse market is growing, there are concerns about the risks of unauthorized use of character avatars and identity theft in the newly emerged space. Amid these concerns, Toppan Printing developed an avatar management platform “AVATECT” in February. The technology helps users perform identity authentication and ensure authenticity by adding digital watermarks and NFT to their avatars.

In the trial, avatars downloaded from the Mobage site will be registered with AVATECT and assigned with authenticity information. The system will also check the authenticity of avatars uploaded to Mobage 3D Park and give confirmation codes to those that have been granted authenticity. The project will examine users’ experience, the effectiveness of the authentication technology, potential needs for further avatar data protection functions.

Mobage 3D Park is a 3D space featuring exhibits and game booths from its related titles such as “Kaito Royale” and “Nouen Hokkorina,” where visitors can take commemorative photos with their avatars. The pre-opening period will last until November 12. An official opening is scheduled for early 2023.