Can an avatar be sexually assaulted? With the expansion of the metaverses, these virtual reality universes, the first cases of harassment also emerged, an experience that can be traumatizing.
“I entered the common space and almost immediately three or four male avatars stuck to me: I felt cornered”, tells AFP Nina Jane Patel, a British businesswoman.
“They touched and felt my avatar without my consent. Meanwhile, another avatar was taking selfies,” he added.
His attacker then showed him the virtual photos of the scene. It was at this point that the businesswoman, who is also vice president of metaverse research at virtual reality company Kabuni Ventures, realized that she had been the victim of “a sexual assault”.
“Virtual reality is essentially making your brain believe that the virtual world around you is real,” explains Katherine Cross, a doctoral student at the University of Washington and an expert in online bullying.
“When we talk about harassment in virtual reality — sexual assault, for example — what we really mean is that your body initially considers it ‘real’ before the conscious part of your brain realizes it hasn’t physically happened.”
The legal implications are vague, although this researcher feels that legislation against sexual harassment could apply in such cases.
Nina Jane Patel recalls that after demanding that her bullies stop, she took off her VR helmet.
Over the speakers in the room, I could still hear male voices: “don’t pretend you don’t like it” or “that’s why you came here.”
This scene took place last November at “Horizon Venues,” the metaverse of Meta, the parent company of Facebook, which hosts virtual events organized by brands, such as concerts, conferences or basketball games.
Your testimonial is not an isolated case, other visitors to metaverses from different platforms have reported similar incidents.
protection bubbles
Meta and Microsoft announced in February that they will apply a protective bubble that will surround avatars to prevent anyone from approaching more than a meter away.
Microsoft has removed Encounter Spaces from its Altspace VR metaverse.
“I think the harassment problem will be solved because players will select platforms” based on their own criteria, estimates Louis Rosenberg, an engineer who developed the first augmented reality system in 1992 for US Air Force research labs.
But this businessman, who later founded a company specializing in artificial intelligence, confided to AFP that he is more concerned about “the harassment of private companies”, interested in extracting as much data as possible, from eye movement to the heart rate of visitors.
Some industry players, such as the Oasis Conortium analysis center, have already started to think about security codes.
“When platforms identify content that may pose a real risk, it is essential to notify the authorities”, indicates one of its recommendations.
For Rosenberg, the model of a free and gratuitous metaverse is not viable. “Your business model needs to move from being advertising-based to subscription-based,” he explains.
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