Interpol will start investigating crimes in the metaverse

The organization acknowledged the problems in defining offenses related to virtual worlds

06.02.2023 - 10:15

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2 min

What’s new? Jürgen Stock, secretary general of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), told BBC that the agency intends to supervise criminal activity in the metaverse. According to him, “sophisticated and professional” criminals can adapt to new technological tools to commit crimes. However, Madan Oberoi, Interpol’s executive director of technology and innovation, acknowledged that Interpol has problems identifying crimes related to virtual worlds.

BBC’s material

What else does the publication report? Oberoi explained that when trying to apply definitions of crimes in physical space to metaverses, difficulties arise, such as in cases involving harassment. He added that Interpol faces the challenge of raising awareness of possible crimes in virtual worlds.

Oberoi stressed that one of Interpol’s goals is to get law enforcement officers to start using metaverses.

Regarding regulation, according to Nina Jane Patel, co-founder and head of metaverse research organization Kabuni, “That which is illegal and harmful in the physical world should be illegal in the virtual synthetic world as well.”

Jürgen Stock believes that Interpol will play a crucial role in investigating future virtual crimes. “Cyber-crime is international by nature,” he said.

In October 2022, Interpol created a task force to combat crypto crimes. The unit in Singapore will help member countries of the international organization monitor and prevent illegal activities related to digital assets. That same month, Interpol launched a metaverse for law enforcement agencies from around the world.

In May 2022, UAE authorities called for the creation of international safety standards in the metaverse. UAE Minister for Artificial Intelligence said that users’ psyches can be harmed by crimes in virtual space, such as “murdering” an avatar.

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