October 28, 2022
Interpol, the global police agency, said it was preparing for the threat Metaverse could pose to law enforcement, claiming that virtual reality could introduce new types of cybercrime, facilitate existing crimes on a larger scale, and facilitate crimes such as terror attacks.
Interpol, which recently launched its global police Metaverse to train its members in policing in a virtual world, claimed that Interpol Metaverse is the first Metaverse designed specifically for law enforcement around the world, providing officers from around the world with tools for transnational knowledge sharing through avatars, as well as immersive training in forensic investigation and other police activities.
The Interpol Metaverse appears to be insufficient to combat certain crimes on the Metaverse, as Interpol continues to raise concerns about how to prepare for potential metaverse crimes.
“Some of the crimes may be new to this medium, some existing crimes will be enabled by the medium and taken to a new level,” said Madan Oberoi, Interpol’s executive director for technology and innovation.
When it comes to augmented and virtual reality, according to Oberoi, phishing and fraud can work differently. Concerns about children’s safety have also been raised. Oberoi believes virtual reality could support physical crimes and even terrorism, as the Metaverse is a space to plan, simulate and perform their exercises before they are attacked.
Sexual harassment and digital groping are among the crimes committed on the Metaverse, but Meta claims to combat sexual harassment by introducing a safety feature that creates a virtual 4-foot buffer around avatars on the platform.
The sources for this piece include an article in Reuters.
