It is a most horrific current event: an American claims to have been raped in the metaverse. Explanations.
While the metaverse is gaining momentum, pushed by industry giants including Facebook, the testimony of an American has just blackened and made her reputation tragic. Indeed, last December, Nina Jane Patel, aged 43, published an article on the site Mediumexplaining that she had been attacked by several people on Horizon Worlds, virtual reality platform. While she had been there as “beta tester”within 60 seconds of joining, she was “verbally and sexually harassed by three or four male avatars, with male voices”. The woman adds: “They practically raped my avatar and took pictures as I tried to run away. They shouted: ‘don’t pretend not to love’. I had a nightmare and horrific experience that happened so quickly, before I might even think of putting up a safety gate”available on the site and which prevents any interaction with others.
Nina Jane Patel explained a few days ago to the New York Post what “Harassment in the metaverse is a serious issue that the industry will need to address in order to put in place controls and security measures. This problem will continue for adult men and women as our world moves from the 2D Internet as we know it, to the 3D Internet, the metaverse. »
This woman is especially concerned regarding the consequences of such acts on the youngest: “Our children will begin to use the metaverse more and more over the next few years. The inevitable shift to the metaverse now raises new concerns if not properly regulated and controlled for this impressionable age group. » On Mediumshe clarified: “Virtual reality was basically designed so that the mind and body cannot differentiate between virtual/digital experiences and realities. To some extent, my physiological and psychological response was similar to if it had happened in real life. »
Faced with this situation, Joe Osborne, the spokesperson for Horizon Venuesreacted to the New York Post : “We are sorry to hear that this has happened. We want everyone in Horizon Venues to have a positive experience, easily find the security tools that can help in a situation like this – and help us investigate and take action. »
