On this Tech Talk we look at weaponising location data, the sinister Project Pegasus and unpack the mystery of the metaverse:

Key points:

- As privacy advocates have been warning for a while, a Substack group found a way to weaponise location data to oust a priest without his consent, creating worrying implications for using metadata to target individuals.

- The Guardian special investigation into the Pegasus Project uncover one of the most powerful spyware software ever developed.

- Zuckerberg made waves recently by declaring that he wishes Facebook will shift from a social network company to a "metaverse company" in future.

- Our special guest and virtual production expert Michela Ledwidge from Mod Studios describes how the metaverse is not a new idea, and has been developing in different cycles of interest and decline for decades.

- Zuckerberg's attention and investment in virtual reality, including with virtual reality hardware Oculus signals another way for Facebook to entrench their dominance, claiming a developing online space.

- Ledwidge advocates for independent voices to step up and claim their own spaces in the metaverse by creating, collaborating and connecting with each other, without using the dominant platforms that would try to monopolise it.

- There are free and available virtual software to help independent voices including Mozilla Hubs.

- Digital Rights Watch are investigating ways to host indie voices online in their new Rebalancing the Internet Economy project.