Ajman Police announced on Twitter that their services will now be provided through the use of metaverse technology.
Web3 adoption has been welcomed with open arms by the UAE. Following the Gitex Technology Week, in which government bodies showcased the latest technological innovations and services, the latest positive development toward Web3 adoption has emerged. The Ajman Police had previously participated in the Dubai Metaverse Forum.
Does metaverse need the police?
The adoption of the metaverse will certainly attract bad actors as it grows in popularity. The idea of cyber crimes would have never crossed anyone's mind a few decades ago, but now there are government agencies dedicated to preventing them. To protect users' rights, there is a need for police in the metaverse in order to prevent crimes from occurring.
As Jamilia Grier, the founder, and CEO of a legal and business consulting firm, points out:
"It’s inevitable that some users will take advantage of others and that crimes will be committed, and sadly, we can already see some of those happening now. Just as we have laws to address crimes in the physical world, it’s also important to have laws in place to deal with crimes committed in the metaverse.”
Metaverse crimes
The metaverse is still in its infancy, but there have already been reports of crime committed in it. By assuming fake identities in a popular metaverse, a 30-year-old South Korean man sexually assaulted children. The actor used a childish avatar to pretend to be a peer, engaging with children, sending them presents, and enticing them to send photos and videos without clothing. He was sentenced to a term of four years in prison and 80 hours of medical treatment.
A woman shared on Medium earlier in December 2021 that she had been sexually harassed and that her avatar had been gang raped in the metaverse.
“Within 60 seconds of joining — I was verbally and sexually harassed — 3–4 male avatars, with male voices, essentially, but virtually gang raped my avatar and took photos,” the woman claimed. During the woman's attempt to flee, harassers made abusive remarks.
Various incidents of cyberbullying, racial slurs, and other forms of digital hatred have been reported in the metaverse. In the near future, various government anti-crime agencies may follow the example of the Ajman Police by requiring users to behave in a civilized manner on the Internet.
