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- 1 INTERPOL has already forayed into virtual worlds.
- 2 Available data shows there are 400 Million users dwelling in the metaverse.
A decentralized space is good to dwell until it is safe from bad actors. Metaverse, which is deemed as a decentralized space consisting of multiple virtual worlds. To this, the International Criminal Police Organization, commonly known as INTERPOL, has released a ‘White Paper on the Metaverse’ that discusses multifaceted aspects of virtual worlds.
INTERPOL Looking To Lay a Regulatory Framework
The paper reads, “It presents a typology of Metacrimes and their investigation and forensics, highlighting crucial considerations when accessing and recovering the evidence including endpoints, servers, engines, platforms, and virtual asset analytics.” Virtual worlds are still in their infancy but bad actors have already made it a breeding ground.
A teenage girl had to go through a “sexual assault” in a virtual world, European television news network Euronews reported. In a statement, a senior officer said that, “There is an emotional and psychological impact on the victim that is longer-term than any physical injuries.” It raised questions over regulating the metaverse to prevent such instances.
INTERPOL has already made its foray in virtual worlds during October 2022. They initially focused on cyber crimes that involved financial matters but they are not limited only to this. The organization revealed that entities like the World Economic Forum (WEF) have collaborated with companies including Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook), Microsoft, and more.
Although the term metaverse was initially coined in 1992 novel Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, it was popularized when Meta Platforms rebranded itself in 2021. Mark Zuckerberg, the company’s CEO, envisioned this space as the future. An official Meta blog reads that he “laid out our vision of the metaverse as the successor to the mobile internet — a set of interconnected digital spaces that lets you do things you can’t do in the physical world.”
The paper concluded, “Recognizing that the Metaverse spans multiple jurisdictions, dimensions, and organizations, a holistic approach involving multi-stakeholder engagements and cross-border collaboration is pivotal for an effective law enforcement response to Metacrime.”
“INTERPOL stands ready to continue this dialogue with various stakeholders worldwide to help build a secure and safe Metaverse. In support of the global law enforcement community, INTERPOL will remain at the forefront of efforts to safeguard our future world.”
It is imperative that regulations are laid down for a secure conduct in virtual worlds. If visionaries see it as the future of the internet, and if the vision comes true, it won’t hurt to allow authorities to keep these digital worlds in check. Digital spaces like Horizon Worlds are already empty after it failed to attract the desired number of users.
Available data shows there are 400 Million users dwelling in virtual worlds globally. However, going mainstream will take more than that as there are 8 Billion people across the globe. With technological advancements like augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), extended reality (XR), and more still to reach a level necessary to access a proper metaverse, authorities could work on a basic regulatory framework like INTERPOL discusses in their paper.
Anurag is working as a fundamental writer for The Coin Republic since 2021. He likes to exercise his curious muscles and research deep into a topic. Though he covers various aspects of the crypto industry, he is quite passionate about the Web3, NFTs, Gaming, and Metaverse, and envisions them as the future of the (digital) economy. A reader & writer at heart, he calls himself an “average guitar player” and a fun footballer.
