The International Criminal Police Organization or International Police (Interpol) has announced the launch of its first office in the metaverse, offering training for investigators and police and with which he shows his intention to understand and stop crimes in this virtual environment.
This organization has made a demonstration of this space in the framework of the 90th General Assembly, which has taken place in New Delhi (India), where it has announced the replica in the metaverse of its headquarters, the General Secretariat in Lyon (France).
According to Interpol, this version in the metaverse will allow the agency’s workers to “interact with other officials through their avatars without geographical or physical limits,” as specified in a press release.
In the office in the metaverse, which is provided through Interpol’s secure cloud, workers will also be able to take intensive courses in forensic investigation, as well as acquire other police skills and abilities.
This organization is aware of that “for many, the metaverse portends an abstract future”, but the problems it raises are the same ones that have motivated Interpol in recent years: “Support our member countries to fight crime and make the world, virtual or not, safer for those who inhabit it,” commented his General Secretary Jurgen Stock.
To offer constant and specialized support in the metaverse, Interpol has announced the creation of a group of experts who can advise law enforcement in relation to the risks of the global scenario.
BEYOND THE GAME
Interpol has taken into account the results of an investigation carried out by the technology firm Gartner to show the need to create a useful and realistic space in the metaverse. This study warns that, by 2026, one in four people will spend at least one hour a day in the metaverse to work, shop and interact with other users.
Due to the rise of this universe, cybercrime has also arrived, which is increasing as digitization grows, according to its recently published Global Crime Trend report.
Based on these future forecasts, Interpol hopes to protect communities, address threats and ensure their rule of law throughout the metaverse as well. It has also teamed up with Meta, Microsoft, and other tech giants to define and rule the metaverse.
Interpol also knows that as the number of users in the metaverse grows, so will the recognized and typified crimes worldwide, such as sexual harassment, ‘phishing’, financial fraud or ‘ransomware’, among others.
While these crimes are condemned in real life, Interpol wants to address them first in the metaverse to create regulatory frameworks “and eliminate future criminal markets before they are fully formed”, as added by the Executive Director of Technology and Innovation, Madan Oberoi.
