A 16-year-old UK girl was gang-raped not in the real world but in the Metaverse. The victim, while playing a virtual reality game, experienced a traumatic event as her avatar – her personalized digital character – was attacked and subjected to a virtual gang rape by online strangers. While the teen did not endure physical harm in the real world, the psychological and emotional trauma caused to the victim is more severe than any physical injury.
Meta, the company overseeing the free online VR game Horizon Worlds, responded to the accusations, stating that such behavior has no place on their platform. They highlighted an automatic protection feature called “personal boundary,” designed to keep unknown users at a distance. However, reports have surfaced regarding sexual attacks within Meta’s VR game, prompting criticism of the platform’s lukewarm response.
The involvement of the police in a metaverse-related case has sparked debates about the allocation of law enforcement resources, particularly at a time when convictions for physical rape cases in the country have reached an all-time low. Critics argue that investigating virtual crimes diverts attention from pressing real-world issues.
The global concern sparked by this unprecedented case goes beyond the UK. In traditional criminal law, rape necessitates physical contact, a criterion not met in virtual assaults, leading to questions about whether such incidents qualify as rape. As Metaverse transcends geographical boundaries, allowing individuals from different countries to interact within the same virtual space. This presents a challenge for law enforcement agencies worldwide, as determining jurisdiction becomes complex, questioning which country’s laws should apply to a virtual crime.
Adding to the complexity is the lack of clear legal frameworks in the Metaverse, particularly for offenses like virtual sexual abuse. Law enforcement agencies are calling on platforms to enhance user protection, but responses have been tepid, with tech giants like Meta focusing on the Metaverse’s potential future rather than addressing its current dangers.
The larger issue at hand is the Metaverse’s widespread use, with 400 million users worldwide, 80% of whom are children under 16. The Metaverse has become a breeding ground for various cybercrimes, including virtual robbery, fraud, and identity theft, posing challenges to existing laws that struggle to cover these acts. Tech giants, driven by profit, continue to contribute to these risks, leaving the Metaverse as a virtually unregulated space, bound only by the limits of imagination and unprepared for the challenges it presents.
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- Fizza Tanveer writes stories about history for The Feisty News. She resurrects lost stories with her pen-as-time machine. To her, history isn't mere facts and figures; instead, it's about understanding the past's impact on our world.
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