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Crimes against Health and Physical Integrity in Metaverse
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Mehrnoosh Abouzari *    |
| Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. |
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Abstract: (440 Views) |
Background and Aim: Metaverse world can cover a person's life in all dimensions. The symbol of his presence in this world is in the form of an avatar, as a digital picture of him, which enters the metaverse world with a headset. During his presence in the metaverse, there is a possibility that the person is immersed in that world and cannot maintain his physical balance. In this case, he may suffer a physical injury or, due to his extreme presence in this world, he may stay away from real life and become addicted to virtual life or movement and vision problems, etc. On the other hand, he may face cases of crimes against him in the metaverse world, such as murder or assault, which he is not mentally capable of facing and may suffer serious mental-psychological problems and injuries, such as anxiety disorder after the accident. Therefore, the occurrence of such crimes in Metaverse against people can be traumatic and worrying. In the criminal law, crimes against physical integrity have punishments, but these punishments are related to real space crimes. Therefore, behaviors such as assaulting or killing a person's avatar will not be punished in the metaverse and it seem that crimes that occur in the metaverse and are considered a virtual physical injury with real world consequences remain unpunished. A point where the legal loophole can provide a tool for the abuse of criminals and the vulnerability of people.
Methods: For this research, English sources of recent years have been used, which have been analyzed through the connection of technical concepts of metaverse and criminal law in the field of crimes against individuals.
Ethical Considerations: In all stages of writing the present research, while respecting the originality of the texts, honesty and trustworthiness have been observed.
Results: The findings indicate that the crimes that occur in the world of metaverse cannot be proven and punished with the current criminal law system and the need for criminal law to enter this space is quite tangible.
Conclusion: The existence of laws related to crimes against physical integrity is necessary to ensure the physical and mental health of people related to the metaverse world, so that the crimes of this space will decrease and its safety will increase. |
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| Keywords: Metaverse, Crime, Physical Integrity, Health, Punishment |
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Full-Text [PDF 293 kb]
(208 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Original Article |
Received: 2024/02/17 | Accepted: 2024/07/13 | Published: 2024/07/31
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