{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,13]],"date-time":"2026-04-13T15:56:49Z","timestamp":1776095809877,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":57,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,10]],"date-time":"2024-10-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1728518400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"European Union NextGeneration-EU, the Recovery Plan, Transformation and Resilience, through INCIBE"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Information"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study explores the process of creating avatars for Virtual Reality and metaverse environments using a variety of specialized applications, including VRChat, Ready Player Me, VRoidStudio, Mixamo, Convai, and MetaHuman. By evaluating these platforms, the research identifies the strengths and limitations of each tool in terms of customization, integration, and overall user experience. The practical implementation focuses on avatar creation within Unity and Unreal Engine, highlighting the technical aspects of rigging, animation, and real-time rendering. The study also delves into the broader implications of avatar use, particularly concerning privacy and security. Our findings reveal that while each platform offers unique advantages, the choice of tool significantly impacts the visual fidelity and performance of avatars in virtual environments. For the ease of use, Ready Player Me stands out with its intuitive interface. VRoidStudio is notable for its high degree of customizability, allowing for detailed avatar personalization. In terms of high-quality graphics, MetaHuman leads the way with its advanced graphical fidelity. At the same time, while some platforms excel in personalizing avatars or integrating with development environments (VRoidStudio, Ready Player Me), others are constrained by their limited flexibility or their platform-specific availability (MetaHuman, Mixamo). Understanding the technical intricacies of these tools is crucial for developing more immersive and secure metaverse experiences.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/info15100624","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,10]],"date-time":"2024-10-10T12:57:47Z","timestamp":1728565067000},"page":"624","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":16,"title":["Enhancing Digital Identity: Evaluating Avatar Creation Tools and Privacy Challenges for the Metaverse"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Jorge Castillo","family":"Alc\u00e1ntara","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universidad Polit\u00e9cnica de Cartagena, 30202 Cartagena, Spain"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4059-8134","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Igor","family":"Tasic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Business and Economics School, UCAM Universidad Cat\u00f3lica San Antonio de Murcia, 30107 Murcia, Spain"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4952-0325","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria-Dolores","family":"Cano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universidad Polit\u00e9cnica de Cartagena, 30202 Cartagena, Spain"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"233","DOI":"10.1016\/j.icte.2024.02.010","article-title":"Metaverse in Advanced Manufacturing: Background, Applications, Limitations, Open Issues & Future Directions","volume":"10","author":"Amaizu","year":"2024","journal-title":"ICT Express"},{"key":"ref_2","first-page":"101967","article-title":"The Metaverse Digital Environments: A Scoping Review of the Techniques, Technologies, and Applications","volume":"36","author":"Tukur","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. King Saud. Univ.-Comput. Inf. Sci."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Tasic, I., Chen, T., Grabs, E., Ipatovs, A., and Cano, M.-D. (2024, January 21\u201325). Predictive Analysis of IoT Systems Performance. Proceedings of the 2024 Photonics & Electromagnetics Research Symposium (PIERS), Chengdu, China.","DOI":"10.1109\/PIERS62282.2024.10618442"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4209","DOI":"10.1109\/ACCESS.2021.3140175","article-title":"A Metaverse: Taxonomy, Components, Applications, and Open Challenges","volume":"10","author":"Park","year":"2022","journal-title":"IEEE Access"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"319","DOI":"10.1109\/COMST.2022.3202047","article-title":"A Survey on Metaverse: Fundamentals, Security, and Privacy","volume":"25","author":"Wang","year":"2023","journal-title":"IEEE Commun. Surv. Tutor."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2596","DOI":"10.1109\/TVCG.2023.3247072","article-title":"A Systematic Review on the Visualization of Avatars and Agents in AR & VR Displayed Using Head-Mounted Displays","volume":"29","author":"Weidner","year":"2023","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Vis. Comput. Graph."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"59","DOI":"10.1109\/MIC.2022.3212085","article-title":"I MetaverseKG: I Ndustrial Metaverse Knowledge Graph to Promote Interoperability in Design and Engineering Applications","volume":"26","author":"Jaimini","year":"2022","journal-title":"IEEE Internet Comput."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4148","DOI":"10.1109\/JIOT.2022.3232845","article-title":"When Internet of Things Meets Metaverse: Convergence of Physical and Cyber Worlds","volume":"10","author":"Li","year":"2023","journal-title":"IEEE Internet Things J."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"112","DOI":"10.1109\/MWC.012.2300077","article-title":"USTB 6G: Key Technologies and Metaverse Applications","volume":"30","author":"Zhang","year":"2023","journal-title":"IEEE Wirel. Commun."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2683","DOI":"10.1109\/TCYB.2024.3372591","article-title":"Industrial Metaverse for Smart Manufacturing: Model, Architecture, and Applications","volume":"54","author":"Ren","year":"2024","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Cybern."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100459","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chbr.2024.100459","article-title":"Factors Impacting Users\u2019 Willingness to Adopt and Utilize the Metaverse in Education: A Systematic Review","volume":"15","author":"Ahmed","year":"2024","journal-title":"Comput. Hum. Behav. Rep."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100576","DOI":"10.1016\/j.entcom.2023.100576","article-title":"Top Concerns of User Experiences in Metaverse Games: A Text-Mining Based Approach","volume":"46","author":"Ediz","year":"2023","journal-title":"Entertain. Comput."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"123571","DOI":"10.1016\/j.techfore.2024.123571","article-title":"The Impact of Metaverse for Business Model Innovation: A Review, Novel Insights and Research Directions","volume":"206","author":"Latino","year":"2024","journal-title":"Technol. Forecast. Soc. Chang."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4972","DOI":"10.1016\/j.asjsur.2023.06.039","article-title":"The Metaverse in Surgery: A Real Life Low-Cost Clinical Application for Telementoring","volume":"46","author":"Ammendola","year":"2023","journal-title":"Asian J. Surg."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e11762","DOI":"10.1016\/j.heliyon.2022.e11762","article-title":"The Promise of the Metaverse in Mental Health: The New Era of MEDverse","volume":"8","author":"Cerasa","year":"2022","journal-title":"Heliyon"},{"key":"ref_16","unstructured":"(2024, September 02). Meta. Available online: https:\/\/www.meta.com\/."},{"key":"ref_17","unstructured":"(2024, September 02). SteamVR. Available online: https:\/\/steamvr.com."},{"key":"ref_18","unstructured":"(2024, September 02). Rec Room. Available online: https:\/\/recroom.com\/."},{"key":"ref_19","unstructured":"(2024, September 02). Unity. Available online: https:\/\/unity.com\/."},{"key":"ref_20","unstructured":"(2024, September 02). Unreal Engine. Available online: https:\/\/www.unrealengine.com."},{"key":"ref_21","unstructured":"(2024, September 02). Blender. Available online: https:\/\/www.blender.org\/."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"46","DOI":"10.1109\/MCE.2024.3350898","article-title":"Evaluating Metaverse Platforms: Status, Direction, and Challenges","volume":"13","author":"Shin","year":"2024","journal-title":"IEEE Consum. Electron. Mag."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"53","DOI":"10.1109\/MCE.2024.3350875","article-title":"Exploring Avatar Experiences in Social VR: A Comprehensive Analysis of User Reviews","volume":"13","author":"Dong","year":"2024","journal-title":"IEEE Consum. Electron. Mag."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"125835","DOI":"10.1109\/ACCESS.2022.3225638","article-title":"A Review of Metaverse\u2019s Definitions, Architecture, Applications, Challenges, Issues, Solutions, and Future Trends","volume":"10","author":"Kasim","year":"2022","journal-title":"IEEE Access"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5071","DOI":"10.1109\/TVCG.2021.3099290","article-title":"Being an Avatar \u201cfor Real\u201d: A Survey on Virtual Embodiment in Augmented Reality","volume":"28","author":"Genay","year":"2022","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Vis. Comput. Graph."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"161","DOI":"10.1561\/111.00000056","article-title":"Governance Strategy for Digital Platforms: Differentiation Through Information Privacy","volume":"4","author":"Kuan","year":"2023","journal-title":"Strat. Manag. Rev."},{"key":"ref_27","unstructured":"YouTube LLC. (2024, October 01). You Tube. Available online: https:\/\/www.youtube.com."},{"key":"ref_28","unstructured":"TikTok Inc. (2024, October 01). TikTok. Available online: https:\/\/www.tiktok.com."},{"key":"ref_29","unstructured":"Reddit Inc. (2024, October 01). Reddit. Available online: https:\/\/www.reddit.com."},{"key":"ref_30","unstructured":"Steemit Inc. (2024, October 01). Steemit. Available online: https:\/\/steemit.com."},{"key":"ref_31","unstructured":"(2024, October 01). Mastodon gGmbH Mastodon. Available online: https:\/\/joinmastodon.org."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105960","DOI":"10.1016\/j.clsr.2024.105960","article-title":"Balancing the Platform Responsibility Paradox: A Case for Amplification Regulation to Mitigate the Spread of Harmful but Legal Content Online","volume":"52","author":"Park","year":"2024","journal-title":"Comput. Law. Secur. Rev."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105792","DOI":"10.1016\/j.clsr.2023.105792","article-title":"How Platforms Govern Users\u2019 Copyright-Protected Content: Exploring the Power of Private Ordering and Its Implications","volume":"48","author":"Quintais","year":"2023","journal-title":"Comput. Law. Secur. Rev."},{"key":"ref_34","first-page":"100213","article-title":"Crafting the Techno-Functional Blocks for Metaverse\u2014A Review and Research Agenda","volume":"4","author":"Johri","year":"2024","journal-title":"Int. J. Inf. Manag. Data Insights"},{"key":"ref_35","unstructured":"(2024, October 01). Decentraland Decentraland. Available online: https:\/\/decentraland.org."},{"key":"ref_36","unstructured":"(2024, October 01). The Sandbox The Sandbox\u2014Virtual World. Available online: https:\/\/www.sandbox.game."},{"key":"ref_37","unstructured":"Meta Platforms Inc. (2024, October 01). Horizon Worlds. Available online: https:\/\/www.meta.com\/horizon-worlds\/."},{"key":"ref_38","unstructured":"(2024, September 02). VRChat. Available online: https:\/\/hello.vrchat.com\/."},{"key":"ref_39","unstructured":"(2024, September 02). Ready Player Me. Available online: https:\/\/readyplayer.me\/."},{"key":"ref_40","unstructured":"(2024, September 02). VroidStudio. Available online: https:\/\/vroid.com\/."},{"key":"ref_41","unstructured":"(2024, September 02). Mixamo. Available online: https:\/\/www.mixamo.com."},{"key":"ref_42","unstructured":"(2024, September 02). Convai. Available online: https:\/\/convai.com\/."},{"key":"ref_43","unstructured":"(2024, September 02). MetaHuman. Available online: https:\/\/www.unrealengine.com\/es-ES\/metahuman."},{"key":"ref_44","unstructured":"(2024, September 02). TRUST Lab TRUST Lab Repository\u2014Avatars. Available online: https:\/\/github.com\/trustlabupct\/."},{"key":"ref_45","first-page":"913","article-title":"Integrating Citizens\u2019 Avatars in Urban Digital Twins","volume":"22","author":"Moreno","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Web Eng."},{"key":"ref_46","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"20","DOI":"10.1109\/MITP.2015.88","article-title":"The Health Avatar: Privacy-Aware Monitoring and Management","volume":"17","author":"Meridou","year":"2015","journal-title":"IT Prof."},{"key":"ref_47","unstructured":"(2024, September 02). Regulation (EU) 2016\/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the Protection of Natural Persons with Regard to the Processing of Personal Data and on the Free Movement of Such Data, and Repealing Directive 95\/46\/EC (General Data Protection Regulation). EU. Available online: https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/legal-content\/ES\/TXT\/PDF\/?uri=CELEX:32016R0679."},{"key":"ref_48","unstructured":"(2024, October 08). US Federal Trade Commission; Children\u2019s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA), Available online: https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/legal-library\/browse\/rules\/childrens-online-privacy-protection-rule-coppa."},{"key":"ref_49","unstructured":"(2024, October 08). State of California Department of Justice; California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), Available online: https:\/\/oag.ca.gov\/privacy\/ccpa."},{"key":"ref_50","unstructured":"Meredith, S. (2024, October 08). Facebook-Cambridge Analytica: A Timeline of the Data Hijacking Scandal; CNBC. Available online: https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2018\/04\/10\/facebook-cambridge-analytica-a-timeline-of-the-data-hijacking-scandal.html."},{"key":"ref_51","unstructured":"(2024, September 27). EPIC Games EPIC Games Privacy Policy. Available online: https:\/\/www.epicgames.com\/site\/en-US\/privacypolicy."},{"key":"ref_52","unstructured":"(2024, September 27). Roblox Roblox Privacy Policy. Available online: https:\/\/en.help.roblox.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/115004630823-Roblox-Privacy-and-Cookie-Policy."},{"key":"ref_53","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zelenyanszki, D., H\u00f3u, Z., Biswas, K., and Muthukkumarasamy, V. (2023, January 20\u201322). A Privacy Awareness Framework for NFT Avatars in the Metaverse. Proceedings of the 2023 International Conference on Computing, Networking and Communications (ICNC), Honolulu, HI, USA.","DOI":"10.1109\/ICNC57223.2023.10074107"},{"key":"ref_54","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Alqudah, R., Al-Qaisi, M., Ammari, R., and Abu Ta\u2019a, Y. (2023, January 9\u201310). OSINT-Based Tool for Social Media User Impersonation Detection Through Machine Learning. Proceedings of the 2023 International Conference on Information Technology (ICIT), Amman, Jordan.","DOI":"10.1109\/ICIT58056.2023.10226010"},{"key":"ref_55","unstructured":"(2024, September 27). CryptoPunks. Available online: https:\/\/cryptopunks.app\/."},{"key":"ref_56","unstructured":"(2024, September 27). Carolyn Peeper; Peter Raymond; Talia Fiano Reputation Management and the Growing Threat of Deepfakes. Available online: https:\/\/news.bloomberglaw.com\/us-law-week\/reputation-management-and-the-growing-threat-of-deepfakes."},{"key":"ref_57","unstructured":"(2024, October 08). US Homeland Security; Increasing Threat of Fake Identities, Available online: https:\/\/www.dhs.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/publications\/increasing_threats_of_deepfake_identities_0.pdf."}],"container-title":["Information"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2078-2489\/15\/10\/624\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T16:10:55Z","timestamp":1760112655000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2078-2489\/15\/10\/624"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,10]]},"references-count":57,"journal-issue":{"issue":"10","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,10]]}},"alternative-id":["info15100624"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/info15100624","relation":{},"ISSN":["2078-2489"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2078-2489","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,10]]}}}