ABSTRACT
Research shows that terrorists use the Internet to spread their propaganda, communicate, fund their organisations and attacks, train aspiring terrorists and plan and execute attacks off- and online. With the emergence of the metaverse – or Web3 – opportunities will unfold for terrorists online, and so will challenges to tackle these opportunities. Recruitment and attack planning possibilities will likely emerge and new targets might appear. A set of new laws, regulations and capabilities will therefore certainly be needed from stakeholders to ensure users’ safety and prevent the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes.
BY DELPHINE DEBUIRE
THE METAVERSE OR THE INTERNET 3.0
If the term was coined by sci-fi author Neal Stephenson in his novel Snow Crash in 1992, the metaverse – also referred to as Web3 – might well become our future [1]. However, defining the metaverse is challenging as the possibilities it could offer seem endless. The metaverse is a virtual environment in which ‘virtual reality serves as a computing platform for living a second life online’ [2] and relies on blockchain technology [3]. To put it simply, the metaverse is an online universe where people can meet, work, have fun, and “live” through their avatars, without leaving the comfort of their homes. The range of opportunities offered by the metaverse sounds appealing to some people and organisations, and terrorists could be among them.
TERRORIST USE OF THE INTERNET
Terrorists’ use of the Internet as we know it today – also called Internet 2.0. – has been widely discussed in academia and shows that online and offline activities of terrorist groups are deeply linked [4]. The six main ‘ab-uses’ of the Internet by terrorist organisations are the creation and spread of propaganda, the financing of their organisations and attacks, the training of terrorists, and the planning and execution of (cyber)attacks [5]. This is explained by the fact that the Internet offers anonymity, an abundance of information, and cheap communication [6].
The Internet enables terrorists to spread massively their propaganda, to instantly communicate with others [7], to fund their organisations and attacks thanks to cryptocurrencies and crowdfunding, to train individuals, and to plan and execute attacks in the physical world or in cyberspace. All of this costs next to nothing, making the Internet a cost-effective tool for terrorists.
TERRORIST USE OF THE METAVERSE
Researchers warn that with the metaverse might come new recruitment, coordination and planning opportunities, and new targets for terrorist groups [8]. Aspiring extremists and extremist leaders could meet in the metaverse and directly interact through their avatars, facilitating the recruitment of new members by extremist groups. The metaverse would also facilitate the planning and coordination of attacks [9].
The possibility of virtually building potential targets and practicing different attack scenarios will likely increase the odds of terrorists conducting successful attacks. A Russian teenager was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for ‘training for terrorist activities’ [10] because he was allegedly planning to blow up a virtual federal security service (FSB) building in the online game Minecraft [11]. If the charges pressed against this teenager can be questioned, it shows a first step toward the criminalisation of what could happen in the metaverse in the future, as the game is considered a rudimentary version of what the metaverse could be [12].
NEW CHALLENGES
The metaverse will most likely face two sets of risks: the ones we already know on the Internet 2.0. and the ones that will come with the Web3 [13]. In particular, the same goes for terrorist use of the metaverse. Therefore, regulations on how to behave in this online universe and laws overseeing online activities, including financial transactions [14], might be needed to keep the metaverse as free of terrorist activity as possible. However, the question here is where governments are “to find the guardrails for the future” [15], namely from an ethical point of view.
With the growing use of cryptocurrencies the metaverse implies, terrorist organisations will have more opportunities to fund themselves through anonymous means. The financial blacklists, and more generally the measures used nowadays to counter-terrorism financing, would therefore have little to no use in the metaverse. Indeed, even if authorities already have the jurisdiction to freeze and seize virtual assets, it can nonetheless be challenging to track down their owner or to link the assets to criminal activities – such as terrorism financing – to justify their seizure. This raises the question of anonymity online, which is a major dispute that is essential to address when discussing the Internet in general, including Web3. If it can protect political dissidents in authoritarian regimes, it also enables and simplifies terrorist activities online. This brings stakeholders back to the “security versus freedom” debate which is at the core of counterterrorism policies [16].
If the impact of the metaverse on terrorist recruitment compared to the Internet 2.0. can be discussed, content moderation on the metaverse will undoubtedly continue to be a challenge [17]. The fight against online extremism is already arduous for major tech companies because of the amount of information to review, the political stakes, and the different legal systems it involves. The metaverse will most likely only add to the challenge because of the endless shapes extremist content will be able to take.
Finally, the definitions of terrorism and related crimes might require some adjustments. For example, the practice runs of attacks on online creation – like for the Russian FSB building mentioned above – would be tricky situations for lawmakers and judicial systems as they would not consist of an attack in the physical world and could be argued to be virtual games rather than terrorism training. The new targets the metaverse could offer might also require some legal adaptation. For example, the destruction of a virtual representation of a government building for political reasons could be perceived as terrorism because it aims at instigating fear among the general population, even though no physical damage results from such an attack.
CONCLUSION
If the Internet is already used by terrorists for recruitment, training, and planning of attacks, the metaverse could offer them even more possibilities. Besides adding to the already existing challenge of content moderation online by multiplying the forms extremist and terrorist content can take, the metaverse could also offer new targets and training possibilities, as well as easier funding opportunities. The feasibility of virtual practice runs of attacks before conducting them offline will most likely lead to better organised and therefore more impactful attacks.
The new targets that could be offered by the metaverse also raise questions on the way to define terrorism and might require the adoption of laws to criminalise terrorism in the metaverse when the time comes. The metaverse will not replace the Internet 2.0. overnight and might not be mainstream before 10 to 15 years [18]. However, the potential it could represent for terrorists should be kept in mind in order to design security measures while building the metaverse, and therefore prevent future use of technology for extremist and terrorist purposes.
REFERENCES
[1] Taylor, P. W. (2022) ‘To the Metaverse and Beyond’ [online], Government Technology, Vol. 35, No. 2, p. 50.
[2] Chen, B. X. (2022) ‘What’s All the Hype About the Metaverse?’ [online], available from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/18/technology/personaltech/metaverse-gaming-definition.html , accessed on 15th February 2022
[3] Williams, T. (2022) ‘What is Web3? The future of the internet, a ‘marketing buzzword’ or something still to be defined?’ [online], available from https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2022-02-11/web3-is-it-the-future-of-the-internet/100810268 , accessed on 15th February 2022
[4] Todorovic, B., Trifunovic, D. (2020) ‘Prevention of (Ab-)Use of the Internet for Terrorist Plotting and Related Purposes,’ in Schmid, A. P. (ed.) Handbook of Terrorism Prevention and Preparedness. The Hague: ICCT Press, pp. 616-643 [online] available from https://icct.nl/handbook-of-terrorism-prevention-and-preparedness/ , accessed on 3rd May 2021
[5] Ibid.
[6] Benson, D. C. (2014) ‘Why the internet is not increasing terrorism,’ Security Studies, Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 293-328.
[7] Hoffman, B. (2017) ‘The New media, Terrorism, and the Shaping of Global Opinion,’ in Hoffman B. Inside Terrorism. 3rd edition. New York: Columbia University Press, pp. 266-311
[8] Elson, J. S., Doctor, A. C., Hunter, S. (2022) ‘The metaverse offers a future full of potential – for terrorists and extremists, too,’ [online], available from https://theconversation.com/the-metaverse-offers-a-future-full-of-potential-for-terrorists-and-extremists-too-173622 , accessed on 15th February 2022
[9] Ibid.
[10] (2022) ‘Russian teen jailed for 5 years over ‘terrorism’ plot to blow up virtual spy HQ on Minecraft,’ [online], available from https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/02/10/russian-teen-jailed-for-5-years-over-terrorism-plot-to-blow-up-virtual-spy-hq-on-minecraft , accessed on 15th February 2022
[11] Ibid.
[12] Chen, B. X., op cit.
[13] Combs, V. (2022) ‘Metaverse security: How to learn from Internet 2.0 mistakes and build safe virtual worlds,’ [online], available from https://www.techrepublic.com/article/metaverse-security-learn-lessons-from-internet-2-0-mistakes-to-build-safe-virtual-worlds/ , accessed on 11th March 2022
[14] Ibid.
[15] Taylor, P. W., op cit.
[16] Bureš, O. (2013) ‘Freedom and/or/versus security’ in Bureš, Oldřich. EU Counterterrorism Policy: A Paper Tiger?, pp. 203-227
[17] Wille, M. (2022) ‘Revolution? No, the metaverse won’t be a radical new breeding ground for extremism,’ [online], available from https://www.inputmag.com/tech/no-the-metaverse-wont-be-a-radical-new-breeding-ground-for-extremism , accessed on 15th February 2022
[18] Bosworth, A. (2021) ‘Building the Metaverse Responsibly,’ [online], available from https://about.fb.com/news/2021/09/building-the-metaverse-responsibly/ , accessed on 15th February 2022
