By Michael Scott
Interpol made a white paper public explaining the possible advantages of metaverse tools for law enforcement and inquiry and forensic consideration for crimes linked to the metaverse.
A white paper by Interpol’s Metaverse Expert Group shows that Metaverse platforms harbour the potential for a critical crime scene preservation and evaluation and law enforcement training tool.
The global law enforcement organization published this research report focusing on the complex metaverse. It considers several use cases that can help law enforcers globally.
This document also highlights the considerations of probes associated with cybercrime and the metaverse. Additionally, it explores the difficulties of accessing and retrieving evidence from platforms, servers, virtual asset analytics, and platforms.
The working group was created in October 2022. It later came up with several suggestions and guidance to fight the possible misutilization of metaverse platforms while also taking advantage of them as a law enforcement tool.
Metaverse as Law Implementation Tool
The report by Interpol shows some tangible use cases for law implementation agencies that leverage the physical, virtual and augmented reality elements of metaverse apps. Metaverse environments are anticipated to become critical immersive training tools that could restructure frontline policing.
Further, the report shows how various agencies can organise and respond more efficiently to different circumstances via Metaverse-founded simulations and training. It noted that reconstructing crime scenes, information disclosure, and tactics planning will enhance situational awareness and, therefore, positively impact frontline policing capabilities.
Another innovative strategy entails the utilization of metaverse platforms to develop virtual duplicates of crime scenes. This permits sleuths to access and evaluate scenes of crime regularly. It is believed that this strategy will permit substantial evidence cross-examination, which might enable judges or juries to virtually visit crime scenes to understand the cases’ contexts and details.
The report also highlights virtual, augmented, and extended reality tools as critical in enhancing law enforcement and investigations. In this case, they utilize spatial cognition and perceptions to facilitate three-dimensional workplaces. Specifically, the report shows that via its three-dimensional user interface, the tools leverage memory capabilities and natural spatial reasoning. As such, detectives can address complex knowledge problems.
Extended reality (XR) tools are crucial for cryptocurrency-associated inquiries via services such as Chainalysis, which offers a virtual environment to sleuths to connect and envisage transactions and token transfers.
Policing Against Metacrimes
Interpol’s report also seeks to define what comprises destructive activities and crimes in the metaverse to ensure effective policing and the platforms’ safety.
The white paper discusses present problems, including the theft of three-dimensional digital assets and property, impersonation via digital identity theft, cyber-physical attacks, staking and sexual harassment, nonfungible token (NFT) fraud, and the grooming of children.
Another rising concern involves financial misconduct in the metaverse. According to Interpol, ‘Metacrime’ might intensify as more individuals move into virtual environments daily.
Metaverse Forensics and Inquiries
With metaverse environments attracting more users, Interpol is confident that these platforms will become a critical evidence and information source for detectives. Legal systems and law enforcement must be well-informed about the space.
According to the report, investigators must know how to access information from haptic devices and virtual reality (VR) headsets, acquire information from third-party service providers, and retrieve evidence from metaverse infrastructure. The requirements will involve training for forensic experts, first responders, and the broader criminal justice system.
The report concludes that a holistic strategy that entails the engagement of several stakeholders and cross-border partnerships will play a vital role in responding to meta crime, considering that the metaverse covers several organizations, jurisdictions, and dimensions.