Emerging Threats In The Metaverse: Understanding And Addressing ‘Metacrimes’

With the recent release of the Apple Vision Pro in Australia, people can now fully immerse themselves in the metaverse—a virtual reality space where you can do everything from exploring the savanna to attending sports events or inspecting properties online. However, these new digital worlds also bring about new kinds of crimes, known as “metacrimes.”

What are Metacrimes?

Metacrimes are illegal activities that occur within the metaverse. Unlike traditional cybercrimes, which fit within existing legal frameworks, metacrimes challenge our current methods of reporting and investigating crime because they happen in a virtual world.

Our study explores the characteristics of metacrimes and suggests ways to address them. Here’s what we found:

Unique Features of Metacrimes

1. Immersive VR Attacks: The metaverse uses sensory techniques to make virtual experiences feel real. For example, VR headsets can create realistic visual, auditory, and tactile sensations. This means harmful experiences like sexual harassment in the metaverse can feel very real, but evidence is hard to capture unless interactions are recorded.

2. Challenges for Vulnerable Groups: Metacrimes can be especially harmful to vulnerable users, like children, who make up a significant portion of metaverse users. Issues like grooming and abuse are concerning, particularly because verifying the age of users is challenging.

Real-World Examples

– In 2022, researchers found that users of VRChat, a popular VR platform, encountered abusive behavior every seven minutes, including bullying and sexual harassment.

– In January 2024, UK police investigated a case of rape in the metaverse where a 16-year-old girl’s avatar was attacked. The psychological impact was significant, similar to a physical-world assault. This case might set legal precedents for protecting minors in the metaverse.

Additional Risks

– Hacking and Environmental Recording: Hackers could manipulate VR technology to inflict harm, such as causing motion sickness or vertigo.

With major tech companies like Apple, Meta, and Microsoft investing heavily in the metaverse, it’s predicted that by 2026, 25% of people will spend significant time in these virtual spaces. Therefore, it’s crucial to develop legal and regulatory frameworks specific to the metaverse to ensure safety.

Governments and tech companies need to create new laws and regulations to address the unique aspects of metacrimes. Additionally, law enforcement must be trained to handle these new types of crimes effectively. Tech companies should go beyond mere apologies and implement clear guidelines to prevent and address criminal activities in their virtual environments.