The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has turned its attention to the metaverse, as outlined in a paper released on January 18. The document aims to explore the potential benefits and challenges associated with this virtual space.
In the paper, Interpol views the metaverse as a valuable tool for law enforcement, particularly in areas such as training, collaboration, global conferences, and digitizing crime scenes.
For example, the metaverse enables the virtual recreation of high-stress scenarios, such as terrorist attacks, to improve officers’ skills during training.
Law enforcement agencies can also leverage the metaverse for preserving crime scenes through virtual replicas, allowing continued access and analysis even after physical sites have undergone changes. This not only helps in maintaining the scene’s integrity but also streamlines in-depth cross-examination of evidence.
However, the paper also acknowledges potential challenges arising from the metaverse, including identity theft, financial fraud, and copyright infringement. Interpol emphasizes the need for clear definitions to effectively penalize criminal behaviors in the virtual world.
Recent events, including the investigation by British police into the first virtual rape case, further underscore the emerging legal challenges linked to the metaverse, emphasizing the necessity for legal safeguards.
Despite these challenges, Interpol expresses its commitment to an ongoing dialogue with stakeholders worldwide to contribute to the development of a secure and safe metaverse.
The organization, as the paper reads, is committed to leading the charge in safeguarding the future world, a commitment it initially demonstrated with the launch of its inaugural metaverse experience for global law enforcement in October 2022.
Meanwhile, the metaverse and its applications are on a continuous growth trajectory. Statista’s projections indicate that the global metaverse market is poised to reach a value of $74.4 billion by 2024.
