Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization, has announced the launch of the supposed first police metaverse experience. This new virtual world, which allows users to visit the offices of the institution in Lyon, aims to advance the understanding of metaverse-related crimes and opens the possibility for users to receive training in different areas.
Interpol Launches Metaverse World
The metaverse is being harnessed for more than just recreational and commercial objectives. Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization, has announced the launch of what is claimed to be the first police-focused metaverse experience in its 90th General Assembly in New Delhi.
The objective of this experience is to help in the enforcement of law worldwide, allowing Interpol members to experience the metaverse in different forms. This, according to Madan Oberoi, executive director of technology and innovation at Interpol, is key for the future of policing in virtual worlds. Oberoi stated:
The metaverse has the potential to transform every aspect of our daily lives with enormous implications for law enforcement. But in order for police to understand the metaverse, we need to experience it.
Interpol is worried about the new kind of crimes that can be committed in the metaverse, including crimes against children, data theft, money laundering, financial fraud, counterfeiting, ransomware, phishing, and sexual assault and harassment. As these crimes are committed in different ways than in the real world, this poses a significant challenge for the organization.
The World Economic Forum has also expressed its concerns specifically about the safety of young people in the metaverse, making recommendations about how to maintain a clean ecosystem.
An Educational Approach
However, there is another function that Interpol’s metaverse also aims to provide. The opportunity to instruct police officers around the world from a central hub. This means that remote training tasks can be more immersive and engaging for the students, according to the institution.
During a live demonstration of these possibilities, Interpol delivered a course on travel document verification and passenger screening that virtually transported users to an airport, in order to make training more realistic.
The metaverse is expected to be a relevant part of remote learning in the future. A survey presented by Ipsos in May revealed that 66% of those surveyed expect metaverse-powered virtual learning apps to “significantly change” people’s lives in the next ten years, a higher number than those indicating entertainment and virtual work would do so.
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