The first judicial hearing in the metaverse is held

At the start of February 15th, the Administrative Court of Magdalena began the first judicial hearing held in Colombia within the metaverse. The meeting was convened by Judge María Victoria Quiñones, who accepted the request of the plaintiff to hold the hearing in Horizon Workrooms, the Meta application.

In addition, the Attorney General’s Office and the intervening parties agreed with the decision. Why use this application for the meeting? According to Judge Quiñones, the metaverse is functional and recognized by the Constitutional Court and the high courts.

The judge explained that the metaverse works through a constant exchange of data messages and uses electronic means, in this case, optical means, to generate the information that accompanies this virtual environment. It is a tool that can facilitate access to justice.

She also clarified that by using this new tool, it is not possible to think that holding a hearing in the metaverse would be a violation of due process and the rules of judicial proceedings. The hearing is a milestone in the evolution of digital law in Colombia and opens new possibilities for access to justice in the digital world.

Although each person was in a different location, in the metaverse all the 3D characters appeared to be gathered in a room, as if it were a courtroom. Before starting the meeting, the judge stated that the credentials were sent to the official emails of the parties to carry out the identification of each person, as well as previous connection tests so that each party could become familiar with the platform.

“We followed some guidelines, and the procedural subjects had to configure their avatar and make it known to the court and each of the parties through what the regulation previously states,” explained the judge. She added that each avatar was linked to the Facebook account of each person.

Similarly, she explained that each movement made by the avatars was voluntary to what the person executed. The judge asked each of the participants to raise their right arm, left arm, or both, which was reflected in the avatars.

Behind the judge who led the hearing was a screen, which had the same function as a Zoom or Meet meeting, which is displayed when screen sharing. In this case, it presented evidence or documents that each of the parties had in consideration to present during the lawsuit against the Police and the Ministry of Defense, in this particular case.

Finally, those who were connected to the platform could do it with virtual reality glasses, which offer a more immersive experience. They could also follow it without them, which is not the same reality experience, but it did not prevent people from being part of the hearing.

In summary, the first judicial hearing in Colombia within the metaverse has been a success, allowing people located in different parts of the world to gather in a virtual room and actively participate in the legal process. The judge and technology experts did an exceptional job to ensure that the hearing was held without inconvenience and that the parties involved could present their arguments and evidence effectively. This event marks a milestone in the evolution of digital law and opens new possibilities for access to justice in the digital world.