Metacrimes: Criminal Legal Assessment of Offences in AI-Driven Virtual and Augmented Realities (Metaverse)

The metaverse represents a substantial evolution of the Internet (Web 3.0), featuring immersive and interactive user experiences that blur the boundaries between the physical and digital spheres. As the virtual economy expands and the amount of time people spend in these environments increases, concerns regarding security have intensified. Within this evolving landscape, a new class of criminal activity called “metacrime” has emerged challenging traditional law enforcement structures and legal paradigms. Ranging from financial fraud to virtual attacks, these metacrimes require proactive measures to protect users and safeguard the integrity of the metaverse. Given the cross-dimensional nature of metacriminal activity and complex datasets involved, the selection of appropriate algorithms requires a nuanced understanding of both the data architecture and the specific types of illegal activity. In accordance with the legal and criminological imperatives of this emerging domain, various algorithmic paradigms are applicable for predicting and detecting potential metacriminal behavior, such as: classification algorithms; anomaly detection algorithms; time series forecasting techniques. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.