Metaverse Developments

Metaverse Developments

Europol highlights metaverse-native crimes and metaverse versions of existing crimes

“…historically law enforcement was generally slower in developing capabilities for digitally committed crimes, we should as soon as possible begin preparing for the emergence of the metaverse from a law enforcement perspective.” Europol Innovation Lab

A recent Europol report, Policingin the Metaverse – What law enforcement needs to know, identified various emerging and future crimes that may arise in the metaverse. These include:

• Identity theft and impersonation: Increasingly realistic virtual representations and the use of sensors to track eye and face movement will offer more detailed biometric information about users. This may enable more accurate impersonation, identity theft, and more convincing deepfakes.
• Harmful experiences for children: There are presently no effective age rating restrictions for experiences offered in the metaverse. There have already been cases of children being exposed to virtual reality (VR) strip clubs and ‘sex condos’ in which people make their avatars have virtual sex. These environments may make it far easier for predators to engage in grooming for sexual exploitation of children. Haptics and other VR technology may add a sensory dimension to these interactions.
• Child labour: Metaverse platforms allow users to earn money, which could see children engaged in work in the metaverse. Children may be exploited for platform development projects and face pressure to engage in more and more work. Money promised may potentially not be provided or distributed fairly.
• Terrorism: The metaverse offers new avenues for propaganda, recruitment, and more realistic training options, particularly with the development of “digital twins”. Digital twins refer to virtual models that are designed to be an accurate representation of real-world physical objects or places, for example a town square, police station, or sports stadium. The metaverse may also enable the development of a virtual Caliphate, white supremacist state, or other virtual manifestations of ideologically idealised worlds.

ANZPAA recently attended INTERPOL’s annual STRATalks seminar. During the event, researchers from University College London identified 32 metaverse crime threat scenarios. In addition to those listed above, these included cyber-physical burglary and personal attacks, AI-generated child sexual abuse material, and incitement to self-harm.¹

Decentralised digital planets

An innovative approach to a blockchain-run video game has potentially paved the way for the development of a metaverse that no one owns or controls and that cannot be taken down.

The game, Dark Forest, exists entirely in blockchain smart contracts, which are computer programs that are stored and executed by blockchain. Once deployed, smart contracts can continue to exist forever unless the creator builds in some sort of mechanism, or ‘killswitch’, to end them. Without this, there is the potential for the game – or a possible metaverse – to exist as a “digital planet,” both ungoverned and unending. Individual users could then exist within and build upon the decentralised digital environment.

A future metaverse developed in this way could create significant challenges for law enforcement. With no ‘owner’ or moderator of the digital environment to work with, issues such as addressing metaverse harms, content removal or tracking malicious actors may become near impossible.

Immersive harms

Advancements in metaverse technology have begun to move toward simulating real-world physical harm. The founder of VR firm Oculus has claimed to have partially developed aheadset that can kill its user in real life if they die in a game. While the headset is not currently on the market, with its creator noting there are a “huge variety” of weaknesses that could see users killed at the wrong time, it does offer proof of concept for a range of potential VR harms. Although this may seem outrageous, it targets those seeking to “raise the stakes” of a game, and it is not the first attempt in this space. In a less extreme example, Sony-backedcompany H2L is developing an armband that translates metaverse pain into real sensations. The potential for haptic devices and “teledildonics” – intended to simulate sexual experiences – to be used in non-consensual circumstances has also been flagged. This may include devices being hacked and no longer controlled by the user or a delegated party (i.e. the user’s partner). This may also extend to child sexual exploitation, with the potential for those engaging with livestreamed abuse material to control the abuse themselves in real time. These developments could make investigating sexual assault and child sexual abuse cases more challenging, with victims experiencing real-world physical harm without perpetrators physically present.

It’s not all bad news: INTERPOL metaverse creates opportunities for international police collaboration

In October, INTERPOL launched the first globalpolice metaverse, designed to be used as a collaborative tool for law enforcement worldwide. The INTERPOL metaverse offers a virtual representation of INTERPOL’s headquarters in Lyon, France, and allows users to interact via avatars and take part in immersive training courses in forensic investigations and other policing capabilities.

¹ For further information, please contact [email protected] 

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