The unsettling world of virtual crimes, where the line between the digital and physical blurs, and existing laws fall short in providing justice.
Virtual crime, a term coined for unlawful activities carried out in the digital realm, typically within expansive online multiplayer games or metaverses, is a growing concern. As Meta broadens its virtual reality (VR) platform’s reach, an alarming number of reports detailing women’s sexual harassment and assault in its metaverse are emerging. These virtual offenses vary from theft and robbery to more severe crimes like sexual assault.
In a recent case that has garnered global attention, a female avatar in a VR game was allegedly gang-raped virtually. Despite the lack of physical harm, the psychological distress she experienced was akin to that of a real-life rape survivor.
The British police are currently investigating the alleged gang rape of a girl’s avatar in a virtual reality game, marking what is believed to be the first investigation of its kind involving the metaverse. The alleged victim, a girl under 16, was immersed in a game via a virtual reality headset when her avatar, a digital representation of herself, was raped by the avatars of several men. While the accuser did not sustain any physical injuries, the trauma she may have suffered could be comparable to that of a real-life rape victim.
UK authorities are concerned that it might be impossible to prosecute under existing laws, which define sexual assault as physical touching in a sexual manner without consent. This investigation has sparked questions about whether police resources, already stretched thin by a substantial backlog of in-person rape cases, should be allocated to investigate crimes in the metaverse.
In another unsettling incident, a female vice-president of research for a different metaverse company reported being groped by a group of male avatars within a minute of her arrival. A researcher from a global non-profit organization, who joined the VR platform to study user behaviour, was sexually assaulted within an hour by another user, while others merely observed. Facebook’s metaverse has been labeled as “yet another breeding ground for toxic content.”
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These incidents have ignited a debate about the relevance of existing laws to virtual crimes. Present laws categorise sexual assault as non-consensual physical contact of a sexual nature, which may not encompass crimes committed in the virtual world. This has prompted calls for the modernisation of law enforcement methods and the enactment of appropriate laws to counter these emerging threats.
However, virtual crime is not confined to sexual assault. Instances of money laundering, intellectual property theft, and even suspected terrorist activities within virtual worlds have been reported. Cyber kidnapping is another worrying trend, where fraudsters deceive victims into paying a ransom to release a loved one they believe is under threat of violence or death. In reality, no actual kidnapping has occurred; the criminals employ deception and threats to fabricate the illusion of a kidnapping.
Current discussions have centred on how immersive, haptic technologies (pertaining to or based on touch) intensify the experiences of sexual assault in the metaverse because they feel akin to physical experiences. Indeed, immersive, haptic technologies can make the experiences more intimidating. The all-encompassing view, audio, and even touch simulation provided by VR headsets and handheld controls create a multi-sensory experience, blurring the line between the virtual and the physical.
However, immersive technologies are not a prerequisite for harassment to feel “real” and to have “real” consequences. Many women who have been subjected to online verbal abuse have described their experiences as “real,” and the effort they put forth to convince others that these experiences have both tangible and psychological impacts.
When we only talk about how sexual attacks in the virtual world are similar to real-life situations, we’re suggesting that online and offline experiences are different and conflicting. This might unintentionally lessen the seriousness of other types of online harm that don’t have touch-based, immersive aspects. This could extend the long-standing belief that physical harm is worse and needs more focus than emotional and verbal harm. Just using technology won’t fix this issue.
These cases underscores the urgent need for the evolution of policing methods to address online crimes and for the enactment of relevant laws. It also serves as a call to action for tech companies to enhance their efforts in ensuring user safety. There have been several reports of virtual sex crimes in Horizon Worlds, a free VR game operated by Facebook’s parent company, further emphasising the gravity of the situation. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the potential dangers lurking in the virtual world, and the pressing need for effective measures to combat them. There is a growing demand for Meta and other technology companies engaged in the creation of metaverse applications to devise strategies to address sexual assault incidents on their platforms. While certain forms of moderation and systems to restrict abuse are necessary, technological solutions alone are inadequate, and at times, problematic.
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