Scoping study of the future crime challenges of the metaverse

Research summary

This scoping study will bring together academics, researchers, industry, government, professionals and relevant professional bodies to consider the emerging and future crimes that the metaverse might facilitate.  Participants will be asked to consider the likely success of these new types of crimes, crime surface scalability, skills set required, economic motivations and what should be done to prevent them. The study will help to identify emerging crimes, and shape (and prioritise) future research directions to improve the security of future technological developments and legislation. The study will include a stakeholder workshop to discuss existing threats, identify emerging and future crimes and identify the most critical ones that require immediate attention. The work will be led by the Policing Institute for the Eastern Region (PIER), Anglia Ruskin University, and the UCL Dawes Centre for Future Crime.