Do you know there is a location in America called slab city and it is known because there is no law! Can you believe, we all are going to get a chance to live in an area like this from our bedroom? What do you think about such a world?
Metaverse and Avatars
This year, a Tamil Nadu couple is inviting people to attend their wedding reception virtually! Isn’t it cool?
All guests will have to log in via the website to attend this Hogwarts-themed wedding and they can also select their avatar, says the newsfeed.
Metaverse is a combination of two words, meta, and verse, which means, additional universe. A digital environment that mimics the real world.
Recently, the co-founder of Facebook has changed the name of Facebook to meta, describing the company's vision and support for the metaverse.
This so-called co-founder, with his strong control of AI, is, going to make us all spend our time, personal data, and crypto-currency [which you have bought from your actual investment] on a virtual world to create a home in a game like a platform and to buy clothes for our cartoon-like avatar!
Cyber Attacks in The Metaverse World
Today, on January-2022, 7.3% of Indians own crypto-currency. Based on the number of current users and the amount of personal data that Facebook owns, it is predicted that the co-founder, being the parent of meta, is going to assign himself as God of his meta world.
Well, Facebook is not the only company that is working on metaverse right now. Currently, 8-10 companies are leading the metaverse.
More metaverses, hence more gods!
Here is my prediction on the crime that will be caused by the metaverse: According to the ‘Crime in India’ report, cyber crime in India increased to 50,035 in 2020, up from 5,693 cases in 2013.
There is a high rate of damage caused by one user to another. Online threats, stalking, cyber bullying, hacking, and fraud are just a few of them, all of which are relatively easy to commit.
Although the term metaverse has just recently gained popularity, crimes committed in the virtual world have already been reported in the United States. This on-the-nose virtual world is expected to increase the number of occurrences of crime.
Case Study
A woman was testing the beta version of metaverse on November 26th, in the United States.
She was playing with a total of ten people. She claimed she was sexually harassed during the game and filed a complaint against BIGBRO442, a fellow player.
The question isn’t HOW WILL HE BE PUNISHED? But the real question is: WILL HE BE PUNISHED AT ALL?
It's a horizontal world. There is no such thing as law. There is no legal system in place. Because there is no rule, no rule breach has occurred. Our internet criminal is out there, testing the beta version, with another bunch of 10!
The more we learn about this issue, the more horrifying it gets.
In the virtual world, where there are no rules. thus, no perpetrators even after committing a crime!
There is, however, a victim, if not physically assaulted, victims are almost always psychologically damaged.
Although, it will have a little effect on the virtual world. It will undoubtedly cause a stir in the actual world. It will put the victim under a lot of stress.
With hackers aplenty, this raises serious concerns about an individual’s privacy.
A hacker with a good amount of information and bad intention can cause a lot of damage to society.
Consider the following scenario: a hacker has your fingerprint, is aware of your whereabouts, has access to your mobile laptop, and even has access to your camera.
What is the limit of his abilities?
He can empty your bank account in one move!
He may even use your location as a cover to conduct a bomb blast in Syria!
And these crimes are difficult to prevent electronically. and how can we possibly forget that the creator himself has a collection of users’ data without their consent.
On the metaverse, several people are compensated to buy, sell and construct real estate, it may raise issues about property ownership, content, trademarks, publicity, copyright, and patent in the future.
This technology will certainly confine a person to a closed walled room. It can have negative consequences for one’s mental and physical health.
Conclusion
Now, let's get back to our God. Remember the time, When China was collecting data on the nation's youth via the TikTok app?
What if someday an individual nation will decide to ban metaverse?
What if the god himself will shut it down?
What will happen to those who have made their career on metaverse?
What about those who have made crores of investment in it?
What about those who have bought properties on it?
There is a high chance of fraud on metaverse. Architecture on metaverse may take your money with a promise of building you a home and stop playing! This could create a spark between two users or the company and the user.
Disclaimer- This particular content was the opinion of the author. SIFS India has no liability in the case of controversy.
May 02, 2022 - BY SIFS India