Even as many tech companies are investing billions of dollars in developing the Metaverse, a virtual world in which people can live, work, as well as play as avatars, this complex platform There are several security risks associated with .
The objective behind Metaverse is to develop a brand new digital environment where users can engage more deeply with digital content, rather than just watching it.
The growing interest in the metaverse can be attributed to the coronavirus pandemic. As more people start working and going to school or college remotely, there has been an increase in demand for ways to make online connectivity more liveable.
According to a recent report by Citibank, the value of the metaverse could reach $13 trillion by 2030.
However, experts are concerned that crimes such as cyber trespassing, deception, violence, obscenity and harassment may increase as the metaverse becomes more sophisticated.
challenges
during World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Omar Sultan Al Olma, highlighted some of the challenging factors related to the metaverse.
Speaking at the event, he called upon the International Telecommunication Union, the United Nations specialized organization for information and communication technology, to discuss the establishment of global security rules for the metaverse that individuals must follow, regardless of where they live. Live too.
Even Chris Cox, chief product officer of Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, said in Davos that the world needs international standards when it comes to the Metaverse.
At Davos, Cox said: “Maybe there would be something like a rating system, which we have for film, we have for music, we have other kinds of content so that a parent or young person has some sense of to know what the rules are in the environment in which they are going to operate.”
Facebook has already announced that it will launch its own Metaverse. But so far, the social media giant hasn’t disclosed details related to data privacy and how data will be used and protected in the metaverse. There have been issues about how Facebook handled user data in the past that cast a shadow over the entire initiative.
Meanwhile, according to a report by London-based blockchain analysis provider Elliptic—The Future of Financial Crimes in Metaverse Report 2022—Metaverse is trying to launder money for criminals.
When the Yuga Labs team announced the release of MetaRPG and its native cryptocurrency, Apcoin (APE), in March 2022, fraudsters on social media tricked consumers into clicking on dangerous links or donating money for fake rewards. Tried giving and was able to raise about $900,000.
Additionally, Elliptic reports that there may be multiple instances of legalized sexual practices within the Metaverse as well as opportunities to open sex-based businesses within the Metaverse red-light districts, adding to concerns that the space How can the use of more horrific content like child sexual abuse material, revenge porn and sexual harassment.
Purvi Sachar, Head of Operations at Tezos India told News18: “As interest in the metaverse grows India And around the world, many people are expressing concern about the potential risks and dangers in settings where the lines between the real world and the virtual world are blurring.”
She also stated that the notion that virtual, 3D environments will replace real-world settings as the primary means of human engagement is at the heart of the Metaverse concept and that expanded reality (XR) will be needed to make widespread use of these environments. . useful.
“Some of the applications that make up the current ‘virtual world’, including many gaming platforms, give you a good idea of potential issues, plus, they give you a clear idea of future complexities,” she said.
According to Sachar: “It is clear that serious security issues have already arisen in these contexts. In addition to violent, extremist types of content, other harmful aspects present in such virtual worlds/environments are the prevalence of racial and sexual assault.” “
ensuring safety and security
The concerns are serious, as crimes involving child abuse have already been documented in the metaverse. For example, South Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Families reported in September 2021 that a 14-year-old girl was forced into her metaverse avatar before being instructed to engage in sexual behavior.
In India, a small but growing number of Metaverse users have reported cases of assault and sexual infringement on their digital avatars. For example, earlier this year, a young woman from a metropolis sought legal recourse for “violating” her avatar on a virtual reality platform, but the country’s criminal and judicial system is still prepared to deal with the challenges it faces. Not there. By Metaverse, according to lawyers.
According to a report in Economic Times, Pawan Duggal, a cyber law expert and member of Metaverse Law Nucleus, a global organization that is trying to develop general principles for managing such virtual conflicts, said that a A new legal framework is needed.
As the metaverse is a global ecosystem and litigation is challenging, Duggal said that the current legal system does not recognize digital avatars and added that “identity and attribution of jurisdiction currently pose some challenges”.
However, Tezos India’s Sachar said: “With AR, malicious software or a DoS attack, for example, can momentarily ‘blind’ a user, and, for example, block an oncoming car.” or hide the face of the attacker!”
“The use of AR in a real-world setting, such as business and health, gives nefarious adversaries the potential to endanger life and safety. Think carefully about whether or not to conduct delicate business using these technologies. will be important, especially given that these factors may have an impact on system usage policies,” she adds.
Talking about how businesses can ensure security, he said that providing all employees access to a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to protect the company’s network and data. is one of
“Install a VPN to ensure that information is transmitted securely between your company’s core systems and the devices your employees use,” she said.
Additionally, she notes that however, choosing a VPN provider from one of the best brands is not enough. It should ensure that it provides the highest level of security for your corporate network and for that the IT personnel of the employer or firm should look into VPN encryption.
“The strength of any encryption is determined by the bit size of the encryption key. The length of the key affects how strong the encryption is. Longer keys may provide the best defense against external brute force,” she said.
Apart from the corporate sector, Sachar also spoke on security issues related to the people. She said that there is no reason to believe that netizens currently using websites and social media platforms for wrongdoing will suddenly stop as soon as they enter the metaverse.
According to her, many conflicts over problems such as gender, ethnicity, religion and politics are inevitable, and they can be detrimental to the mental health of Metaverse residents.
“One option is to keep the social circle of one’s virtual world open to acquaintances and people with whom they already have some kind of contact. Maybe it will help someone on a personal level, but still it cannot protect you from every virtual attack, ”said the expert.
Furthermore, she added: “Metaverse and XR are inevitable, and one way or another, people will certainly have to rely on external security providers to keep themselves safe.”
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