Policing the Metaverse: the Next Frontier of Law Enforcement and Justice

9.30am – 11am 18 April 2023

As part of techUK’s Making the Metaverse Campaign, the Tech and Innovation Team are partnering with the Justice & Emergency Services Programme to deliver an exploratory event on what ‘Policing the Metaverse’ means. Speakers include, INTERPOL and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).

The metaverse – a collection of interconnected virtual worlds – may soon be an immersive environment in which we live, work and socialise. The development of the metaverse is set against the backdrop of an increasingly digital society that is turning to technology to enhance experiences and bring people close together even when physically apart. While this technology still remains in its infancy, both opportunities it may bring and the potential harms that can be experienced are coming to the forefront of discussion. How to you police an immersive world that does not yet exist?

With so much unknown about the metaverse, and so much to learn what the future has instore, it is important for techUK to start the discussion on what this means for law enforcement agencies. There are huge opportunities offered by the platform, but it is important that law enforcement and the tech industry come to together to remain one step ahead of this technology, to understand its existing and future benefits, challenges and the current state of play.

Agenda to be confirmed shortly.

Confirmed panelists include:

Dr Madan Oberoi, Executive Director for Technology and Innovation, INTERPOL

Dr Carolyn Lovell, Head of Research, Office of the Policing Chief Scientific Advisor, NPCC

Mr Conan D'Arcy, Senior Practice Director, Global Counsel

It is important that we help make sense of the impact that the metaverse will have; and the technologies underpinning it may have on criminal activities. The metaverse offers many benefits for law enforcement, from enabling them to collect and preserve evidence from virtual crime scenes to training officers in how to handle real-life situations. Whilst these are important areas to explore, this event however, will focus on what it means to ‘Police the metaverse’ exploring questions such as;

What is the current state of play?
What are the possible shapes the metaverse could take and how have police forces been engaging with this technology so far?
How do we upskill police forces to be able to understand, engage, and interact with this virtual environment?
What could policing the metaverse entail? Are police forces equipped to police virtual worlds?
What could crime look like in the metaverse and can our understanding of crime be applied to the metaverse?

With the ever-changing threat landscape, police will need to adapt their practices to respond to the new security needs of citizens and protect users in the virtual world.

Please note, this event is open for techUK members, Police forces and any organisations interested in the Metaverse to attend. There will be an opportunity for a Q&A and a discussion.

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