The Metaverse and the Law, how will the Metaverse be Policed?
It is arguable to say that the Metaverse is likely to become part of our reality as more and more people transition into the Metaverse. The Metaverse the next Iteration of the Internet. How will the Metaverse be Policed? A large topic both in the United Arab Emirates Dubai and internationally.
Recent Developments
The first Country which is planning to create a version of itself is Tuvalu as a response to the existential threat of rising sea levels. Simon Kofe made the announcement via a digital address to leaders at COP27. The question now is how will the Metaverse be Policed? The Metaverse is being exploited by criminals around the world as the threat of potential crimes as augmented reality and virtual continue to progress.
Current Cases
Law Doctor Ltd has handled matters which involve the Metaverse including money laundering, counterfeiting, data theft and harassment and assault just to name a few. Matters include criminals replicating and hijacking users Avatars in the Metaverse or replicating expensive Digital Art.
What are Law Enforcement Agencies Doing to Prepare for the Metaverse
Law enforcement agencies around the world are working to tackle the issues the Metaverse has created and more and more Governments around the world are training Officials who would Police the Metaverse directly in the Metaverse for example Major Hamad Khatir, Director of UAE Ministry of Interiors International Operations Department hosted a 3 day virtual training experience for security officials in order to provide a blueprint for security officials to prepare for the online future in the Metaverse.
It is arguable to say that in order to keep people safe in the Metaverse Law Enforcement around the World will need to be and have to be in the Metaverse and be ready for the challenges which have already begun.
Successfully Prosecuted Cases
Roblox an online gaming platform used by millions of children all over the world won a lawsuit against a content creator who violate the platforms terms of use by engaging in various forms of harassments against other metaverse gamers. In the United Kingdom the House of Commons Online Safety Bill aimed to ensure that online platforms had strategies in place should there be any illegal or harmful content. The bill introduced four new offences including, a false communication offence, a threatening communication offence, a harm-based communication offence and a cyber flashing offence. If the person behind the Avatar can be identified, then there would be no issues in applying the legislation to the meta-space.
There are a lot of issues which will need to be addressed when the Metaverse is fully active including jurisdiction issues as the Metaverse can be accessed from anywhere in the world. The Metaverse does not have a jurisdiction and neither does it have borders so this may cause issues around the world.
Conclusion
As the Metaverse develops it is arguable to say that the Law will develop accordingly including the training provided to Law Enforcement Agencies around the World. In a recent development the UK High Court allowed a lawsuit to be delivered via a NFT (Non-Fungible Token) and to serve a document proceedings relating to worldwide freezing injunction using blockchain technology.
Law Doctor Ltd has worked closely with other international Law Firms including firms in Dubai to tackle the issues which arise when dealing with cases involving block chain, cryptocurrency, NFT’s and the Metaverse. Further conferences involving the DIFC Judges in Dubai have had the same discussion about the Policing of the Metaverse
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H.E. Justice Shamlan Al Sawalehi DIFC Courts Dubai
