Sexual Harassment In Metaverse. "I Was Shocked, Even Though They Were Just Avatars"

On Metaverse's Horizon Worlds virtual reality platform, someone sexually attacked the avatar of a 21-year-old researcher. The non-profit organization Sumofus, where the researcher works, has filed a lawsuit calling on the company to reduce the risks present in the Metaverse in the context of human rights.

BBC editors who watched the recording of the incident write, that there were avatars of two men in the footage, one of whom approached the researcher, had obscene comments and offered her a virtual bottle of alcohol. The other stood nearby, staring. The researcher was also said to have been the victim of homophobic insults and virtual gun violence.

"One part of me was really shocked, but the other part thought: Okay, this is not my real body, this is an avatar. I also said that this is a really important research and I have to capture and record this," said the researcher, who was researching the metaverse environment.

Even an avatar attack can be traumatising

According to Sumofusto, which also deals with human rights, this is proof that Meta needs to provide better protection for its users in the metaverse. The company claims that even virtual attacks can be very traumatising and can have a real negative impact on users.

The meta has dealt with similar incidents in the past. To improve the level of security measures, it has introduced the Personal Boundary feature, which prevents avatars from approaching each other at a certain distance and disrupting the "avatar's personal space". As a result, they can avoid unwanted interactions.

Horizon Worlds is currently only available in the US and Canada. The avatars have a simplified appearance that resembles a cartoon character.