from the totally-not-trying-to-justify-our-new-VR-headset-procurement dept.
The International Criminal Police Organization, aka Interpol, has launched its 'global police Metaverse' as part of an effort to train members how to police in a virtual world.
Last week, Interpol unveiled what it says is the "the first ever Metaverse specifically designed for law enforcement worldwide." It says the "Interpol Metaverse" gives officers around the world the tools for cross-border knowledge sharing via avatars, and to take immersive training in forensic investigation and other policing activities.
[...] "As the number of Metaverse users grows and the technology further develops, the list of possible crimes will only expand to potentially include crimes against children, data theft, money laundering, financial fraud, counterfeiting, ransomware, phishing, and sexual assault and harassment," it said.
"For law enforcement, some of these threats are likely to present significant challenges, because not all acts that are criminalized in the physical world are considered crimes when committed in the virtual world," it warned.
[...] "The Metaverse has the potential to transform every aspect of our daily lives with enormous implications for law enforcement," said Madan Oberoi, Interpol executive director of technology and innovation.
"But in order for police to understand the Metaverse, we need to experience it."
[...] "For many, the Metaverse seems to herald an abstract future, but the issues it raises are those that have always motivated Interpol – supporting our member countries to fight crime and making the world, virtual or not, safer for those who inhabit it," said Interpol secretary, General Jürgen Stock.
(Score: 3, Funny) by legont on Wednesday October 26 2022, @01:33AM (3 children)
Military got to be there before police.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 26 2022, @02:42AM
In the metaverse, you could secure the Meta beaches and then bring back Bob Hope to entertain the digital troops.
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Wednesday October 26 2022, @02:04PM (1 child)
Actually, the military was in the metaverse thirty years ago, remember DOOM and Quake? But in the metaverse, when you kill your enemy, he respawns. Enemy took your territority? No problem, just reboot the computer!
Dumbasses act like the metaverse isn't just a figment of someone's imagination you can see and hear. Not a lot different than reading a novel, except the graphics and sound are lots better in a book.
Carbon, The only element in the known universe to ever gain sentience
(Score: 3, Interesting) by legont on Wednesday October 26 2022, @10:02PM
I never touched metaverse and I quit gaming 32 years ago, but my understanding is that gaming is still, well, a game, while metaverses are supposed to be real. By real I mean actions in them are supposed to have persistent consequences.
I believe it's the point of the news - police is going to apply persistent actions in metaverse. My point was that military would have to be there earlier. See, a battle always has tree stages: special forces, military, police. The same is true for any society.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by khallow on Wednesday October 26 2022, @03:32AM (6 children)
I suggest not-so-abstract investment fraud as the first target. My experience has been that the more abstract and buzzword-laden the future is the more fraudulent it happens to be.
(Score: 4, Funny) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday October 26 2022, @12:19PM (2 children)
I suggest bringing critical thinking back to the classroom as a first line defense against financial fraud, both individual and perpetrated by our elected officials.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 2) by darkpixel on Wednesday October 26 2022, @02:54PM (1 child)
I suggest that critical thinking won't stop fraud perpetrated by elected officials because they control the legal system and policy enforcers. I suggest nothing less than dragging them into the street and shooting them when the revolution comes will stop it.
I am the unorganized meta militia.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday October 26 2022, @03:04PM
I suggest that critical thinking won't stop fraud perpetrated by elected officials because we've got too many idiots in the voting population to ever overcome them.
Think back to high school: how many dropouts were there? In Florida in the 1980s it ran approximately 25% who were "outta there" the minute they turned 18. Then there's the slice who just stick around to get the diploma but don't care about learning anything, just doing the minimum required, and that extends up to at least Bachelors' degree holders. And some of those people are plenty bright critical thinkers, but it's a small minority.
Now, think about football games. How many people get all fired up over "us vs them" and really let that drive their choices in life?
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Wednesday October 26 2022, @02:07PM (2 children)
Seems to me that's the only crime possible in the metaverse. Money is the only thing in the metaverse that's real, so it's best to leave your wallet at home.
Carbon, The only element in the known universe to ever gain sentience
(Score: 3, Insightful) by maxwell demon on Wednesday October 26 2022, @07:37PM (1 child)
I'd expect that any crime that's possible on the internet is also possible in the Metaverse.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Thursday October 27 2022, @03:01PM
Yes, theft and child porn. I seriously doubt you'll find much child porn there.
Carbon, The only element in the known universe to ever gain sentience
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Wednesday October 26 2022, @06:59AM (5 children)
Since people caught on that the "cyber police" was pretty much just a vehicle to siphon tax money for fuck all, we have to move on to "metaverse police". We need a new buzzword they don't understand so we can suck some more money out of the suckers.
(Score: 3, Informative) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday October 26 2022, @12:12PM (4 children)
Cyber police may not be very effective, but the needs are very real.
Leading up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, malware capable of disabling the trains and severely hampering civilian evacuations was cleaned by "international cybercops."
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Friday October 28 2022, @06:34AM (3 children)
We need a police that knows how to deal with real threats on the internet. But we sure don't need one in a tarted up version of Secondlife. "The Metaverse" is a meaningless buzzword where a ton of money has been pumped into making it sound like it is something when in fact it's something that could come from the drawing board of Potemkin.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday October 28 2022, @09:53AM (2 children)
>where a ton of money has been pumped
Thus rendering it meaningful, at least to the investors.
Crossroads with three houses and a stop sign don't get police forces, hundreds of millions of dollars developments do - even when they are mostly empty.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Friday October 28 2022, @02:08PM (1 child)
So investors is now what we call dupes that throw good money after bad one?
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday October 28 2022, @02:54PM
>So investors is now what we call dupes that throw good money
Always has been.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 3, Funny) by gawdonblue on Wednesday October 26 2022, @12:38PM
Yep, it was up to 32 individual users yesterday. Imagine how much crime fighting will be required if it gets up to triple figures.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Thursday October 27 2022, @03:47PM
What is the metaverse?
The ancient sci fi concept? Second Life which is about two decades old and has been, essentially, dead for 15 years? Facebook's "Horizon Worlds" that nobody uses?