Interpol warns of criminals and terrorists in metaverse

Interpol warns that terrorists and other criminals can misuse a metaverse platform for criminal activity. ‘New types of cybercrime’ could also emerge in such VR environments.

New forms of phishing and other scams could be applied in augmented and virtual reality, among other things, warns Interpol CEO Madan Oberoi opposite Reuters. “Some crimes are new to this medium; other existing crimes could be taken to a new level by the medium. The safety of minors is also a concern.”

By contrast, the risk of crime in relation to the metaverse, according to Oberoi, does not stop at virtual environments; such a platform could be used to facilitate crimes in the real world. “If terror groups want to launch an attack in the real world, they can use the metaverse to simulate their plan and train for an actual attack.”

Many Interpol members have already made it known that there is a lack of clarity about how to prepare for possible cybercrime on a metaverse platform. This is in line with earlier statements by Europol. The European police association warned earlier this month that terror groups could use a metaverse platform to spread propaganda or recruit and train members. According to Europol, a blockchain-based metaverse could contribute to better online security as the actions of individuals could be registered in this way.

One of the champions of the relevance of the metaversion is Meta. The former Facebook changed its name in part to emphasize the concept of virtual worlds.