A woman from the UK wrote a blog post on her horrible experience on the Metaverse in Horizon Worlds, a virtual game developed by Meta. Here’s all about the alleged sexual harassment.
Woman harassed in a virtual game
“Within 60 seconds of joining, I was verbally and sexually harassed – 3-4 male avatars, with male voices. Essentially, but virtually gang-raped my avatar,” she wrote. She explained in detail, about watching her avatar undergo assault by the male avatars.
She added that they took photos and sent her comments along the lines of “don’t pretend you didn’t love it”. The victim, Nina Jane Patel works as the vice president of Metaverse Research at Kabuni Ventures.
Patel received several comments stating that her allegations are “a pathetic cry for attention”. Several users also began urging her to not pick a female avatar. However, some people also raised concerns on how getting hurt in a virtual space is a true concern. As a response, Patel cited a 2009 peer-reviewed study investigating the ‘proteus effect’. According to the study, people based their behavior based on the attractiveness of their avatar and, offline. Additionally, it brings the linking between violent behavior in person and in video games to question. As per the American Psychological Association, there is “insufficient evidence” on the matter.
The possibility of abuse in the Metaverse
“With the large majority of harassment that happens online, even if it is criminally actionable, you would be hard-pressed, I would say almost impossible, to find a law enforcement agency legitimately willing to help,” stated Joseph Jones. Jones is the president of an investigation agency that specializes in cyber and social media. However, Jones believes that Patel does not have a strong legal case. But, he acknowledged that harassment in the metaverse is a possibility as the virtual world emerges. Additionally, the situation is challenging as male avatars could be anonymous and this can lead to difficulty in tracking them.
Meta, formerly Facebook, released Horizon World for everyone above the age of 18 in the US and Canada on December 9, 2021. It is a huge move after a year of invite-only beta testing. Meta features several virtual worlds which are free to download. However, Meta is planning to monetize the game by introducing e-commerce and ads.
According to reports, it will be similar to how ads and monetization work on Meta’s social media ventures like Instagram and Facebook.
Meta is envisioning the metaverse as a virtual space where digital avatars can connect through work, entertainment, or travel. The connections are made possible due to VR headsets. “The next platform and medium will be even more immersive and embodied internet where you’re in the experience, not just looking at it, and we call this the metaverse,” stated Mark Zuckerberg after revealing the company’s new face. As of now, Meta did not comment on the sexual harassment.
