Emergence of Darkverse from Metaverse: Future is not so Bright?

In the Darkverse, criminals use the metaverse to launder money using overpriced virtual real estate and NFTs.

Security researchers predict that a kind of darknet structure could emerge there, similar to today's Internet. The machinations of the cyber gangsters could even take place in protected rooms that can only be reached from a specific physical location and via valid authentication tokens. This would make their underground marketplaces inaccessible to law enforcement agencies. In fact, it could be years before the police can operate effectively in the metaverse. We often hear about some MNC having a data breach. Metaverse will be storing more than your email addresses and passwords. It will store your behaviors too. With a huge data mine, the technology needs to ensure information privacy and personal data security for every user. This will require new security strategies because the darkverse will become the go-to place for conducting illegal/criminal activities because it will be difficult to trace, monitor, and infiltrate by law enforcement. In fact, it may be years before the police catch up.

Core elements of Darkverse:

• Identity: Participating in a virtual digital world as a digital identity.
• Gamified social: Interact in the game and have free social interaction.
• Immersion: Login through virtual land and experience in virtual space.
• Time unity: anytime, anywhere login experience, distributed system, unlimited.
• Diversification: Provide a variety of world scenarios for players to choose from.
• Creator System: Unrestricted creation of digital content and incentives.
• Economic system: unified digital currency system, play and earn, get income.
• Civilization: All people in the Metaverse work together to create a virtual and advanced civilization.

The researchers warn that the Darkverse could become a platform for cyber threats, including:

• Attackers target non-fungible tokens (NFTs), an increasingly popular means of defining property in the metaverse, for phishing, ransomware, fraud, and other attacks.
• Criminals use the metaverse to launder money using overpriced virtual real estate and NFTs.
• Criminal and state actors create manipulative narratives that reach vulnerable and receptive groups. Social engineering, propaganda, and fake news have profound implications in a cyber-physical world.
• Privacy is redefined. Operators of metaverse-like rooms have unprecedented insight into the actions of the users. Privacy as we know it no longer exists there.

Apart from the Darkverse there are many issues like:

Identity

Have you ever wondered if your social media friend is as interesting as online in real life too? The same thing might happen with metaverse as you will be accessing it through your avatars.

Another problem lies in proving your identity as bots can easily mimic your style, data, personality, and whole identity. You will need different verification methods like facial scans, retina scans, and voice recognition for authentication.

Addiction and Mental Health

If you have watched Ready Player One, you know exactly how metaverse can affect your mental health. Addiction to the virtual world might not only lead to mental health problems like depression, and anxiety but cause obesity and heart problems due to the sedentary lifestyle.

Currency and Digital Payments

Metaverse will not be limited to gaming. It will be another online marketplace connecting billions of users around the world. With so many currencies and different cryptocurrencies, there will be a need for quick and effortless exchanges. Not to mention secure transactions.

Law and Jurisdiction

With social media already witnessing virtual crimes, metaverse will have its share of lawbreakers too. Rules and regulations that block an account won't be enough. You need to have proper legislation.

But the metaverse is not going to exist in a real location. It will be a virtual world beyond international borders. That means the countries and authorities need to figure out their jurisdiction to ensure a safe space for the users.