The Metaverse and Homeland Security: Opportunities and Risks of Persistent Virtual Environments

Abstract

Interest in and development of the emerging metaverse has grown markedly, raising questions around what it entails and why it is relevant for a variety of social, economic, and security issues. The answers to these questions can have significant implications for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Regardless of precise definitions, metaverses offer both opportunities and potential threats for DHS and for society more broadly.1 However, an emerging technology, such as the metaverse, can often reflect a technology push, whereby products are first developed in the private sector simply with an eye toward exciting new capabilities and profits, rather than responding to a technology pull that reflects specific user needs (Marler, 2022).

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 2023
Accession Number
AD1201765

Entities

People

  • Benjamin Boudreaux
  • Timothy Marler
  • Timothy R. Gulden
  • Zara F. Abdurahaman

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Cyber
  • Engineered Resilient Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil Rights
  • Computers
  • Cybersecurity
  • Department Of Homeland Security
  • Disinformation
  • Emergency Response
  • Emerging Technology
  • First Responders
  • Governments
  • Internet Of Things
  • Law
  • Money
  • Personnel Management
  • Public Policy
  • Risk Analysis
  • Social Media
  • Test Facilities
  • Video Games
  • Virtual Reality

Readers

  • Ballistic Missile Meteorology
  • Economics
  • Emergency Management and Homeland Security.