Metacrime and cybercrime: Exploring the convergence and divergence in digital criminality

The advent of the metaverse has given rise to metacrime, a novel category of criminal activities occurring in the metaverse, which not only challenges conventional digital criminality but existing law enforcement frameworks. To address the scholarship vacancy, this study examines the intersections and distinctions between metacrime and conventional cybercrime by employing a multi-disciplinary literature review and comparative analysis. We identified five shared characteristics between these two crime types: crime classification, continuous evolution, hyper-spatial-temporality (global reach), anonymity, and governance challenges. Crucially, our research highlights the distinct epistemological aspects of metacrime through its criminogenic, victimogenic, etiological, ethical, and regulatory dimensions, exemplified by virtual-to-physical attacks, immersive virtual reality attacks, victimization superrealism, complexities of human-avatar interactivity, excessive misuse of biometric data, increasingly vulnerable populations, and avatars’ liability. Our findings underscore the imperative need for tailored and forward-thinking regulatory responses to address the intricate challenges of metacrime, thereby ensuring the security and integrity of evolving digital environments.