When I first hear about sexual assault in the Metaverse, I can’t help but notice how quickly technology is evolving while humans still remain so reptilian.
The metaverse is, as its name indicates, a meta-universe, namely an immersive and persistent virtual world (by persistent, we mean a world that exists and develops continuously and autonomously without the presence of users) which “ allows the virtualization of human activities, particularly social, recreational, cultural and commercial activities.
In other words, it is a world almost identical to reality where humans decked out in an avatar and a digital identity meet, notably to socialize, have fun, study and do business. We can also promote talents, such as exhibiting artistic works or selling them. This is the fun part!
You should know that the metaverse is very poorly regulated and remains a far-west. It also escapes state laws. It is the El Dorado of fraudsters and hackers of all kinds.
Obviously, there are also a plethora of perverts, pedophiles, cowards and harassers, whose virtuality and anonymity allow them to satisfy their sexual and aggressive impulses with complete impunity.
Far from being isolated cases
Several cases of sexual assault and touching are recorded in the metaverse, regardless of the platforms. However, I have not heard of any accusations so far, except for one case in the UK.
The first person to denounce this situation was Nina Jane Patel in 2022 as Méta launched its “Horizon World” metaverse in the United Kingdom. She was conducting a study, as part of her doctorate, on the impacts of these worlds on children.
She had barely set foot in this space when she was insulted by a group of men, then sexually assaulted.
Since then, the only case of sexual assault taken seriously by the authorities is that of a teenager who had the courage to file a complaint. This young British woman was the victim of a virtual gang rape.
The adolescent’s after-effects and psychological trauma were similar to those observed in victims of sexual assault in the real world.
Very real virtual attacks
Although victims of virtual sexual assault do not suffer physical injuries, the psychological and emotional trauma is very real, since VR headsets are designed to enable a fully immersive experience.
When creating your avatar, you go through a process of incarnation where it resembles you in every way: your gestures, your smile, your blinking, etc. However, your brain no longer really differentiates between your physical and virtual body. Consequently, an attack in the metaverse will seem very real to it.
Having spoken with these tech geniuses, know that their goal is to make headsets even more efficient so that these experiences are more real. They want you to be able to even smell the smells, taste the foods, etc.
I’m willing, but can we at least think beyond the end of our noses and consider all the criminal possibilities that will result before launching into the void without a net?
