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The Metaverse and Terrorism

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Part of the book series: Studies in Big Data ((SBD,volume 133))

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Abstract

Information and communication technologies develop continuously and uninterruptedly with the main purpose of increasing the quality of life by facilitating human efforts in many areas. However, these technologies can often be exploited for the realization of malicious acts. Terrorist groups, which aim to attract attention by creating fear and confusion in large populations, use such technologies as effective tools. The internet enables widespread access, end-to-end encryption, and the establishment of virtual private networks, which provide a useful environment for terrorist and extremist groups to air propaganda, recruit new members, assemble financial resources, and plan and conduct terrorist acts. The enhanced version of virtual reality technology, the Metaverse, is a development that will allow users to connect to an already existing virtual world via the internet. In this research, previous studies were examined on the connection between terrorism and technology, and evaluations and suggestions were made about how the Metaverse—most probably the next stage in the development of the internet—might be used for terrorist acts. According to the results of the study, in addition to those already experienced in internet use for the purpose of terror, there may be different types of threats in the Metaverse. Therefore, it is important for both states and international organizations to conduct studies on the possible misuse of the Metaverse.

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Correspondence to Aybike Yalcin-Ispir .

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Yalcin-Ispir, A. (2023). The Metaverse and Terrorism. In: Esen, F.S., Tinmaz, H., Singh, M. (eds) Metaverse. Studies in Big Data, vol 133. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-4641-9_19

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