Editor's Note: This is the second of a two-part assessment exploring the future of the metaverse and the potential business and geopolitical implications. Part one can be found here . Increasing regulatory and physical barriers in the metaverse will accelerate the fragmentation of the global internet . Divisions on how to regulate cyberspace are continuing to grow between the United States, Europe, Russia and China, as well as between various developing and middle-income countries. As discussed in the first part of this series , the United States and most other Western countries will remain champions of the open internet, which will enable decentralized metaverse technologies to flourish. But that will not be the case in China or other countries with authoritarian governments, where the decentralization of ideas and social platforms is viewed as a direct risk to political, social and regime stability.