Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock has said that the organization is investigating possible methods for policing crimes in the metaverse.
The metaverse is a theoretical future online environment in which users are portrayed by 3D avatars. The agency has developed its own VR environment, where employees can get training and hold virtual meetings.
Stock argued that it was crucial for Interpol to keep up with the times and adopt new technologies as they emerged. He emphasized the importance of Interpol’s response to the issue, saying that criminals can quickly adapt new technologies for illegal activity.
He noted that sometimes authorities lacked the necessary resources to do their jobs properly. They have witnessed how faith in the agency’s tools and, by extension, the metaverse, may be damaged if action is taken too late. Criminals are already making use of such services that exist now.
What does Interpol consider crime in the metaverse?
Through its encrypted servers, Interpol’s virtual reality (VR) realm provides law enforcement with a taste of what the metaverse would be like and a preview of the kinds of crimes that might be committed there.
This setting gives law enforcement officials a chance to learn about the difficulties of policing in the metaverse and experiment with potential solutions.
According to Dr. Madan Oberoi, Interpol’s Executive Director of Technology and Innovation, identifying crimes in the metaverse brings its own unique issues. He claims there are certain criminal acts for which he is unsure if they qualify as such.
For example, there have been reported cases of sexual harassment. If you look at the definitions of these crimes in physical space, and you try to apply it in the metaverse, there is a difficulty.
Madan Oberoi
The agency claims that educating the public about these problems is a major task for it. Oberoi has said that law enforcement agencies must educate themselves about the metaverse to assist victims of crimes committed there effectively.
It’s not going to be easy
Interpol will also have to deal with the difficulty of regulating crime in the metaverse. Kabuni’s co-founder and director Nina Jane Patel is of the opinion that any behavior that is unlawful or detrimental in the real world should also be prohibited in the metaverse.
When it comes to solving crimes in the metaverse, Interpol will be indispensable. Evidentiary material may be sent to another continent with the click of a mouse, as Stock put it. Cybercrime naturally spans national boundaries.
Almost all instances of cybercrime have some kind of international element, which is why Interpol is so crucial. He highlighted the importance of Interpol and its 195 member nations in the fight against international cybercrime.
It is unclear how the metaverse will grow and change in the future since it is only getting started. However, Interpol’s research into policing crimes in the metaverse is vital in making the virtual world a secure and safe place for everyone to live.
It is crucial that law enforcement organizations keep up with the rapid development of technology in order to combat cybercrime effectively. The efforts of Interpol in this respect are really encouraging.
