16-Year-Old UK Girl Virtually Gang-Raped: Metaverse's Dark Side Demands Real Solutions
By Manoj Kumar Gupta
Updated: Thursday, January 4, 2024
Metaverse is a virtual world where people live their fantasy lives by masking their real age, gender, and other identities. Metaverse was created by the company Meta, a brand that also owns social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Owned by Mark Zuckerberg, the company says that Metaverse will allow users to explore virtual 3D spaces where they can socialise, learn, collaborate, and play.
But this digital playground can also turn into a nightmare. In the UK a 16-year-old girl's virtual avatar was allegedly gang-raped in a metaverse game, shaking the digital landscape and igniting complex legal questions.
VR REALITY: RETHINKING SAFETY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Metaverse is a fantasy world where reality morphs in the virtual landscape, but the disturbing turn of events shows how our avatars are increasingly vulnerable. While the girl's body remained unharmed, the psychological trauma mirrors that of real-world assault, raising uncomfortable questions about the emotional boundaries of our increasingly digital lives. British Police are currently investigating the case. According to reports, the victim entered the virtual world through an Oculus virtual-reality headset, to play a game called 'Horizon Worlds' where she saw her digital self overpowered and violated by multiple avatars.
COMBATING CRIMES IN THE DIGITAL WORLDS
The UK police have promised a thorough probe, of the virtual platform which is slowly turning into a dark underbelly for digital predators. The police also acknowledged the "complexities" of the case. Government agencies echoed this sentiment, with UK Home Secretary James Cleverly expressing concern about online safety and promising to "close the gap" between the physical and digital worlds.
But again there are stark realities, rapes in the real world are increasing dramatically in England and Wales. In 2012/13, 16,038 rape offences were reported which jumped to 68,949 in 2022/23.
THE METAVERSE'S MORAL COMPASS
Meta, the parent company of the Metaverse platform released a statement expressing "zero tolerance" for harmful behaviour and pledging to cooperate with investigators. But the assurances of user safety ring hollow in the face of this incident and similar reports of virtual harassment in the past.
In February 2022, London-based Nina Jane Patel spoke about how a gang of three to four avatars sexually harassed her within 60 seconds of joining the same game, i.e. Horizon Venues. "They virtually gang-raped my avatar and took photos as I tried to get away,"
Patel is the co-founder and vice-president of metaverse research Kabuni Ventures, In May 2022, a researcher working with nonprofit advocacy group SumOfUs entered Horizon Venues to study users' behaviour. But within an hour after she donned her virtual-reality headset, she says, her avatar was raped in the virtual space.
REDEFINING CRIME IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD
Metaverse is fast gaining popularity and criminals would hide behind their digital cloaks to hunt for their next victim. But there is also a complex question of jurisdiction. Existing laws often struggle to define and prosecute offences committed in online environments. Experts argue that it is high time that laws are adapted to the evolving threats from the metaverse.
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