Assault in the Metaverse: is it the start of a dark new future?
It sounds like something straight out of a nightmare: a 16-year-old girl puts on a VR headset and logs onto one of her favourite games. Mere minutes later, she’s been sexually assaulted by several anonymous avatars, and left traumatised. Now, UK police are investigating what is thought to be their first-ever case of rape in the Metaverse, and are calling for new legislation to tackle a growing problem.
Though the whole scenario might sound like something straight out of a dystopian sci-fi film, this is a very real issue now and the case could in fact be the first of many, as more and more move into the Metaverse.
Described by Forbes as “shared, 3D virtual spaces linked into a perceived virtual universe”, the Metaverse has come to mean anywhere that people can hang out online in a 3D space.
Think games like Fortnite and Minecraft, or even social media spaces like Instagram Live or Twitch. They’re frequented by hundreds of millions of users – and though Meta’s own app Horizon Worlds only has around 200,000 monthly users, it spells trouble for this budding industry.
The alleged attack itself was brazen. Taking place in an online ‘room’ populated with other users, all potential witnesses, it’s a testament to how commonplace seems to be in
