The metaverse—Not a new frontier for crime.

Tompsett, Brian; Marshall, Angus

Abstract

Law enforcement co-ordination agencies have recently issued position/guidance documents relating to the potential for VR environments (the “Metaverse”) to become new environment for criminal activity, and calling for additional work to enhance investigative capability. By reviewing the historic development of VR and comparing it with the appearance of the WWW, the authors propose that the situation is not as dire as the issued documents may suggest, but represents an evolutionary rather than revolutionary step in online experiences. They conclude, therefore, that while ability to examine VR presentation/interaction devices may be useful, continued development of ability to examine online systems remains essential.

Citation

Tompsett, B., & Marshall, A. (online). The metaverse—Not a new frontier for crime. WIREs Forensic Science, Article e1505. https://doi.org/10.1002/wfs2.1505

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 11, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Oct 25, 2023
• Deposit Date: Oct 25, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 26, 2023
• Journal: WIREs Forensic Science
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Article Number: e1505
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/wfs2.1505
• Keywords: Crime; Digital evidence; Investigation; Metaverse; Virtual reality
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4424979
• Publisher URL: https://wires.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/wfs2.1505