Illustration: Nadia Mendez/ WIRED Middle East

Editor’s note: This is the fourth story of our series The Future of the Internet.
It was just another day in April this year and the digital landscapes of Decentraland, Sandbox, and Spatial were buzzing with their usual virtual life while Saudi-based Alwaleed Philanthropies was gearing up for a crucial undertaking. The idea was to observe and record how the unsuspecting denizens of these digital realms responded to acts of bullying and discrimination. The team of researchers crafted a diverse set of “fake” avatars, each representing different backgrounds and identities, and subtly introduced them into various corners of the metaverse to kick off the social experiment, a test of empathy and action in the virtual world. As these avatars mingled in digital plazas and virtual gatherings, they became the targets of simulated bullying and discrimination. The reactions of the unsuspecting metaverse citizens were under the microscope and the results of the experiment were very telling. A chilling silence enveloped the metaverse, no words of protest, no digital heroes stepping up. Astonishingly, 70 percent of people in these virtual worlds chose to remain bystanders, witnessing the unfolding drama, but opting for inaction.

Those few who did step up took an average of two minutes and two seconds to intervene—a duration that, in the fast-paced digital realm, felt like an agonizing wait. This exploration by Alwaleed Philanthropies exposes the stark reality that even in the boundless realms of the metaverse, our digital avatars might just be replicating the same hesitations, biases, and selective blindness that plague our physical world. Early encounters in the metaverse have already highlighted issues of harassment, hate speech, and bullying, signaling a need for robust governance. The legal landscape, however, remains as fluid as the metaverse itself. Most legal experts, grappling with the definition of offenses in this virtual world, currently focus on speech-related charges for cyber crimes. “The challenge of defining and prosecuting virtual crimes in the metaverse is compounded by its dynamic, borderless nature,” explains Andrew Fawcett, Partner at law firm Al Tamimi & Company.

Another recent report from the DQ Institute has found that nearly 70 percent of children and adolescents aged 8-18 worldwide have experienced at least one cyber risk in the past year. This alarming statistic has remained virtually unchanged since the Index began in 2018, a situation DQ Institute has dubbed a ‘persistent cyber-pandemic’. “Today, with the fast deployment of generative AI, the metaverse, and XR-like pervasive devices, digital technology is changing children’s lives even more, yet there is minimal discussion regarding their potential harmful effects,” says Dr. Yuhyun Park, Founder of the DQ Institute. Emerging VR and AR technologies, creating increasingly immersive virtual environments that are designed to feel more real, bring to life philosopher and cognitive scientist D. J. Chalmers’ concept of virtual realism that posits that VR should be considered a genuine reality, challenging traditional notions that separate virtual experiences from physical ones. Under this view, events, interactions, and experiences within virtual worlds are not mere simulations or imitations, rather they hold intrinsic value and authenticity comparable to their physical counterparts. “As we embrace these AI-driven advancements in the digital realm, the imperative for robust privacy laws becomes more acute, especially in the absence of comprehensive legislation that truly defends the rights of internet users,” says Mohamad Najem, Executive Director of Beirut-based digital rights non-profit SMEX.

Illustration: Nadia Mendez/ WIRED Middle East

In response to these emerging threats, countries in the MENA region have enacted cybercrime laws targeting hate speech and cyberbullying. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait have introduced legislation, but enforcing these laws within the metaverse’s virtual realms presents unique challenges, especially given the potential anonymity of its users. Sharad Agarwal, Chief Metaverse Officer at Cyber Gear, compares the metaverse’s current state to the early days of the Internet. “Today, we are watching Netflix on the Internet. It has taken technology 27 years to evolve from where it was to where it is today and so will the metaverse in its due course.” The UAE’s Minister of AI, when addressing the World Economic Forum in 2022 advocated for tangible consequences for digital crimes. He asserted that all significant virtual offenses, including killing, should carry real-world punishments. However, when it comes to concepts like virtual murder, applying traditional legal concepts in a realm where physical harm is non-existent adds another layer of complexity. “Prosecution of criminals can also be a tricky aspect due to the cross-jurisdictional nature of the metaverse as the victim and the perpetrator can be in different countries that have their own legal system,” Fawcett explains.

Another legal complexity is whether an avatar with a pseudonym would be considered a “person”. To address these unique challenges, Fawcett opines that “laws can be developed or amended to address these virtual issues, recognize avatars as digital representations of individuals.” Law enforcement agencies are adapting to this new digital environment. Interpol has come up with solutions like providing officers with a virtual environment to familiarize them with metaverse crimes and how to navigate them. Meanwhile closer to home, Ajman police in the UAE became the first law enforcement agency in the world to provide its services inside the metaverse as they introduced a new innovative service called “Request for Sponsorship,” allowing the public to contact the police remotely. “To equip legal and law enforcement with adequate skills and knowledge to deal with virtual incidents that they may encounter in their daily operations is going to be key,” says Fawcett.

While countries in the MENA region are making some strides in addressing these issues, the journey remains complex and uncharted. “There is a huge need for stronger legal protections as we advance into AI-driven technologies,” says Najem. Even metaverse enthusiasts like Agarwal advocate for identity-linked avatars and a community-based rating system to discourage negative behavior. According to him, the onus is on platform owners to build best practices like double authentication to make sure the identity of the people is accurate, alongside gated communities, and the need for companies to design better software and algorithms that place safety at the forefront. “It should not be just about getting the numbers blindly to make a fast buck,” he says. Agarwal believes that as time passes, AI will soon become instrumental in reducing bad behavior and solving interoperability problems in the metaverse. As a transhumanist, he is optimistic about technology’s potential to resolve global challenges. “Technology can solve any problem on the planet. I think the solution will be found through technology itself as it evolves.”   

Read this article in Arabic.

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