Tag Archives: Metaverse

Metapolice – Policing the Metaverse

20 Monday Feb 2023

Posted by in Metaverse, Security

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Photo by kat wilcox on Pexels.com

The “Metapolice” will be a thing of the not too distant future with Interpol looking at how the organisation could police crime in the Metaverse – reported in a BBC News article a couple of weeks ago. Following my last two blog posts about the Metaverse and security – “My Virtual Selfie – Avatars and Identity Security” and “Multiple Metaverse“, this is a timely topic

The thought of a Metapolice brings to my mind the novel “Halting State” by Charles Stross – a cybercrime has been committed in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Avalon Four. A robbery of several thousand euros worth of “prestige items” occurs in the game’s central bank, led by a band of orcs and a “dragon for fire support. (extract from Wikipedia)”

The Metaverse is an ever-expanding virtual space that will and is becoming integrated with our daily lives. As it grows, there are many concerns about the regulation and policing of this virtual world, so what is needed to make the topic of policing the Metaverse effective and why it is essential to create a safe and secure virtual space.

The Metaverse is a set of multiple platforms/virtual worlds that is made up of other multiple interconnected virtual worlds, where users can interact with each other in a simulated environment. Many tech companies are investing in the Metaverse and envision it as the next stage of the internet, where people can shop, play, and interact with each other in a virtual world.

As with any social platform/system there are concerns about privacy, security, and the potential for criminal activity. Just as in the physical world, there is a need for policing and regulation in the virtual world to maintain order and ensure the safety of its inhabitants.

One of the biggest challenges in policing the Metaverse is jurisdiction. As the Metaverse is not confined to any one country, it can be challenging to define who has the legal authority to regulate it. Interpol have the ability to span these borders and makes it a good move that they are looking into how to police the Metaverse. With many platforms, many standards and governance arise and with these a single set of laws will be hard to put into place. Better agreements internationally are needed on how to govern the Metaverse and establish a set of standards and laws that all users and platforms must adhere to. The speed of the technology adoption though will move faster than any legislation/regulation can.

Another challenge for policing is the sheer volume of data that is created in the Metaverse. Platforms collect vast amounts of personal data from users, including their online activity and location. This data can be used for targeted advertising or sold to third parties. There needs to be regulation to ensure that users are aware of the data being collected and have the ability to control how it is used. Tracking users is one of the norms of using the internet and the Metaverse won’t be any different.

When it comes to criminal activity in the Metaverse, there are concerns about cyberbullying, online harassment, and cybercrime. There have already been instances of fraud, identity theft, and virtual theft in the Metaverse and it is important to have a system in place to identify offenders so law enforcement can deal with them and to deter others from committing similar crimes.

To address these challenges, there needs to be a collaborative effort between tech companies, governments, and law enforcement agencies. Tech companies need to take responsibility for the data they collect and ensure that they have robust security measures in place to protect their users. Governments need to work together to establish a set of international standards and laws that can be enforced across different jurisdictions. Law enforcement agencies need to be trained to operate in the Metaverse and have the necessary tools to investigate and prosecute criminal activity.

All that aside, though, the Metaverse is becoming an increasingly interesting place to do business.

Multiple Metaverse

01 Wednesday Feb 2023

Posted by in 21st Century Human, Metaverse, Wearable Tech, xR

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Visiting new worlds used to be a topic of Science Fiction. Nowadays it is as easy as putting on a headset and being transported to a different setting, real or virtual. You can find yourself stood on top of a high mountain or at the bottom of the sea (using real photos) or in a completely different place or world (a virtual environment or metaverse).

Virtual world are not new. The gaming community has been using virtual worlds for a long time now, however Metaverses are now developing into useful spaces in which to work, rest and play.

Where did the term Metaverse come from? Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash (1992). The term metaverse was coined in Neal Stephenson’s 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash, where humans, as programmable avatars, interact with each other and software agents, in a three-dimensional virtual space that uses the metaphor of the real world.

Today there are multiple Metaverses being developed at a fast rate and all playing to be the chosen place to go. But which is the best, which wins? I don’t have the answer to that because at the moment there are so many and lots of these platforms aiming to be the one go to place.

In the future though I do think that there will be one or two main platforms for business/consumers and multiple for entertainment.

Cost and accessibility are key to a platform becoming a strong player as well other factors such as security, attractiveness and our acceptance of modern technologies.

Metaverses are usually available through a number of access methods, from Mobile, to PC/Laptop to Headset. Not everyone can afford the few hundred pounds or dollars for a headset without a good justification (other than gaming in a lot of cases) and for a business equipping all its staff with a headset might be a big hit on the books, without a reasonable return. Headsets are developing at a fast rate and hopefully will develop into a cheaper form of headset to be more affordable by the masses.

This is where a Metaverse that has an option/client for access on a normal mobile, PC/Laptop/Tablet are gaining ground as there are more accessible to users and they can still experience the Metaverse, just without the wow factor of the immersive experience.

The challenge for these Metaverses is to make themselves more appealing to business and consumers other than looking like a game – “Where is that crate drop or quest giver!”.

Some Metaverses are offering land for sale using NFT and Blockchain technologies – a quick search on one of these sites and someone has purchased the virtual land that Buckingham Palace is on for $305.9 consisting of 133 lots (chunks of virtual land). This is one of many platforms out there. Could investing in the right platform pay off?

Across all these platforms though Security is still a big thing that needs to be considered, with risks such as identify and avatar theft, fraud, virtual land theft being some of these. One of the factors as to if a platform succeeds and becomes mainstream will be how secure it is.

So how many Metaverses are there….. Lots!

Here is a list of some of them, but there are a lot more out there:

  • Axle Infinity
  • Battle Infinity
  • Bloktopia
  • BlueJeans
  • Cryptovoxels
  • Decentraland
  • Everdome
  • Gather
  • Hyper Nation
  • Illuvium
  • Metahero
  • Meta Horizon Worlds
  • Myland
  • Nakamoto
  • Nvidia Omniverse
  • Roblox
  • RobotEra
  • Rooom
  • Sansar
  • Second Life
  • Sensorium Galaxy
  • Somnium Space
  • Sorare
  • Spatial
  • Stageverse
  • Star Atlas
  • Tamadoge
  • The Sandbox
  • uHive
  • Upland
  • Virbella
  • Viverse

My Virtual Selfie – Avatars and Identity Security

23 Monday Jan 2023

Posted by in 21st Century Human, Digital, Metaverse

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The creation and use of avatars isn’t a new concept, however with the growth and development in the MetaVerse and technology, they are getting better. Back in May 2020 I wrote a post about “Avatars – My Digital Selfie“, covering several avatar options and showed examples of different avatars across them. Two things came to my news feed recently that have made me re look at this topic. Firstly the news that Microsoft is closing down AltSpaceVR on the 10th March and users can now download their data before the platform closes. and secondly an email telling me of the new experiences being developed using Ready Player Me.

The explosion of MetaVerse and SocialVerse platforms is seeing lots of new platforms and older ones being shutdown, replaced or upgraded for new user experiences as well as supporting developments in technologies. Loosing AltSpaceVR is loosing a bit of nostalgia for me, but on with newer things as Microsoft are concentrating on Mesh and on October last year introduced Microsoft Mesh Avatars in Teams in preview.

I’m not going to republish all of my avatars again (see my previous post for that), however the image in this post is my Ready Player Me avatar. This can be used across a wide range of platforms, some of which I haven’t come across yet and probably won’t use, but its good to understand they are there.

Being able to use the same avatar across multiple platforms does have advantages and allows a single identity to be maintained. The amount of platforms that can or will adopt an avatar will be down to standards, cost and compatibility. Not every platform may operate at the same resolution or speed.

Whilst avatars are good fun and allow you to be represented in the virtual world by a set of pixels that look like you, there are a few draw backs (things not yet developed) that still need addressing.

Security – How easy is it to create an avatar? it’s not hard. How easy is it to create and avatar of somebody else? again its not hard. So whats stopping someone else mimicking you on a platform – nothing. This is an area that is in need of development and thinking. Although this is not a massive market at the moment, there are some questions that need considering. Here is my point of view on these.

  • Should there be a form of authentication that accompanies an avatar? – Yes, 2FA and an ID key embedded into the avatar. An avatar ID watermark to confirm its the actual person who is using it.
  • Should there be legislation covering false or identity theft using avatars? – Most probably, look at what is happening with deepfakes at the moment.
  • Should there be any specific legislation on avatar creation and detail? Maybe – This is an interesting one as avatars are getting better and becoming more lifelike. Yes there are virtual people systems today that can replicate a human without much error, but in this instance I am talking about standard avatars for everyone. Look at all the press around facial recognition. Would a system identifying a lifelike avatar be classed in a similar vane?

Avatars is an area to watch as they develop further. Do you have a view on these questions?