Darkverse -- A New DarkWeb?

TL;DR

The paper introduces the concept of the Darkverse as a harmful virtual environment within the Metaverse, highlighting its potential for illicit activities and discussing challenges in monitoring and regulation.

Contribution

It conceptualizes the Darkverse, compares it to the Dark Web, and outlines key challenges and future research directions for managing illicit activities in virtual environments.

Findings

Darkverse may facilitate misinformation, fraud, and illegal marketplaces.

Challenges include user identification and privacy-preserving data monitoring.

Future research needed for regulation and safety mechanisms.

Abstract

The "Darkverse" could be the negative harmful area of the Metaverse; a new virtual immersive environment for the facilitation of illicit activity such as misinformation, fraud, harassment, and illegal marketplaces. This paper explores the potential for inappropriate activities within the Metaverse, and the similarities between the Darkverse and the Dark Web. Challenges and future directions for investigation are also discussed, including user identification, creation of privacy-preserving frameworks and other data monitoring methods.