On 2 October 2025, the Council of Europe hosted an expert workshop in Strasbourg on the Feasibility Study on Freedom of Expression in Immersive Realities (XR). The event, organised under the authority of the Steering Committee on Media and Information Society (CDMSI), gathered representatives of the European Court of Human Rights Secretariat, academics, policymakers, industry representatives and civil society to explore how virtual, augmented and mixed reality are reshaping communication, creativity and rights.

The workshop builds on the Council of Europe’s longstanding work on digital technologies and human rights, including former work on freedom of expression, algorithmic systems, artificial intelligence and combating hate speech. It also follows the 2023 Council of Europe–IEEE report on the Metaverse, which examined broader human rights implications of immersive environments.

Participants in Strasbourg discussed how existing human rights principles apply to XR, the new challenges raised by symbolic and embodied expression, moderation and surveillance, as well as societal and governance aspects. The consultation also included hands-on testing of XR devices.

The insights gathered will feed into the finalisation of the feasibility study, which will be submitted to the CDMSI for consideration. If adopted, it will guide the Council of Europe’s future work to ensure that immersive realities evolve in ways that uphold freedom of expression and democratic values.