Crimes in virtual reality will be investigated by Interpol

According to the BBC, the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO) — Interpol — will investigate crimes committed in metaverse. Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock made the announcement, emphasizing that the ability of «experienced and professional» criminals to adapt to new technological tools for committing crimes encourages ICPO to work in virtual reality.

According to Stock, fraudsters have started targeting users on platforms similar to metaverse, so «Interpol needs to respond adequately to this.» However, the organization faces problems defining the concept of crime in metaverse. Madan Oberoi, Interpol’s executive director of technology and innovation, said: «Currently, we cannot call crimes committed in virtual reality crimes. However, we are already developing a legal framework.»

Information about Interpol’s plans to investigate virtual crimes appeared almost 4 months after ICPO representatives launched their own metaverse, at the end of October 2022. The new metaverse is already fully operational and «allows registered users to travel through the virtual space of the Interpol General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon, France, without any geographical or physical boundaries.» In the virtual world, you can also interact with other officers and even take immersive training courses in forensic science and other police specializations.

Despite the seeming naivety and simplicity of the Interpol metaverse, there is a logic to it. The number of cybercrimes is growing every day, and police officers need to actively develop their understanding of cryptocurrencies and metaverse.

As a reminder, on October 18, 2022, it became known that Interpol plans to create a special unit to fight cryptocurrency hackers.