Interpol is currently making plans for the policing of the metaverse
The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) is currently researching methods to police the metaverse, an imaginary online universe. Jurgen Stock, who is the secretary general of Interpol, thinks that the organization needs to be ready for this task so that it doesn’t get left behind by the metaverse and the technology that goes with it.
Interpol Getting Set for Policing the Metaverse
Police agencies are having trouble implementing specific policies to uphold the law in the metaverse. But Jurgen Stock, who is the secretary general of Interpol, thinks that the organization needs to be ready to take action on crimes that happen in the digital world.
The organization is in the process of putting the finishing touches on plans to transfer its operation to metaverse platforms, which certain criminal organizations are already exploiting. Stock told the BBC in an interview: “Criminals are smart and skilled enough to quickly learn how to use any new technology that can help them commit crimes. There needs to be a suitable response from our end. Lawmakers, police, and our society as a whole are sometimes a bit behind.”
Ransomware, counterfeiting, money laundering, and financial fraud are just some of the numerous crimes now taking place in the metaverse, alongside verbal abuse and physical attacks. However, there is still considerable ambiguity about some of these.
Crimes Committed Within the Metaverse
According to Dr. Madan Oberoi, Interpol’s executive director of technology and innovation, establishing whether or not an activity constitutes a crime on the metaverse is one of the organization’s toughest issues at the moment. He admitted that there are still problems in this area, saying: “There is a problem with trying to adapt physical-world definitions of these crimes to the metaverse. We don’t know if they qualify as a crime, but they’re obviously a problem that hasn’t been solved.”
Oberoi is sure of one thing: in order to keep the metaverse safe, Interpol will need to have a presence on metaverse sites and maintain communication with users. This is why, as of October’s 90th General Assembly in New Delhi, the organization has its own space in the metaverse.
The metaverse platform provides a second purpose for Interpol by facilitating the delivery of online training to agents in different nations and the subsequent opportunity to put into practice the skills they have learned.
Interpol is working with top field experts to develop a complete plan for police work in the metaverse. This includes making new technologies and methods for tracking and fighting crime in virtual environments and making international legal frameworks to help follow laws and rules in the metaverse.
Interpol is working to keep the metaverse a secure and safe environment for everyone to enjoy without impeding the free flow of ideas and innovation central to its appeal. In an effort to keep the peace in the expanding and ever-changing metaverse, Interpol plans to play a leading role in future law enforcement initiatives.