On December 9, Meta, as Facebook is already called, presented its new open virtual universe – Horizon Worlds, part of the world of Metaverse. And while the platform is currently only available to people living in the United States and Canada, it already has the first officially registered case of sexual harassment.
One of the users who tested the beta complained that she was touched for her groin without her permission.
The incident happened on November 26, but Meta found out about it only on December 1, when they saw the victim’s post in one of the specialized groups on Facebook and immediately launched their own investigation into the case. It turns out that the user had the Safe Zone feature turned off – an option that creates a kind of bubble around the player and protects him from others.
If Safe Zone is activated, no one can talk to the character / avatar, touch it or even approach it. Otherwise, however, the player or more precisely his avatar may enter into various interactions. In addition, Horizon Worlds comes with a warning that it is banned for users under 18 years of age.
Speaking to The Verge, the project’s deputy director, Vivek Shamra, called the incident a “very unpleasant accident” and said he was extremely pleased to have information about such an incident in the early days of Horizon Worlds. However, the victim is of the opinion that the company does not take the topic of virtual sexual violence too seriously.
“Sexual harassment is not a joke, but when it happens in virtual reality – it only adds more nuances to it and makes it much more intense,” the frustrated user told The Verge.
“Not only was I touched last night, but there were people who obviously supported this behavior,” she added.
Experts, in turn, note that cases of sexual harassment in virtual reality are nothing new and Meta and Horizon Worlds have a serious task before them to prevent more such things.
Aaron Stanton is currently the director of the American Institute of Virtual Reality, Health and Exercise. In a conversation with Technology Review, he recalled how in 2016, while playing QuiVr – another virtual reality game, he suffered a similar incident. During one of the missions in the multiplayer version, another player approached Stanton and started stroking him with his hand and even ran his palm through the groin of his avatar.
Stanton informs the company that created QuiVr and receives an official apology. In addition, a new option has been introduced in the game, in which the user can form the letter V with his hands and thus repel any attacks on himself. However, sometimes such features are not able to stop the virtual harassment, just as happened in Horizon Worlds.
From Meta are also justified by the fact that each of their users must go through the instructions in detail before embarking on the virtual world.
Vivek Shamra points out that some of these instructions also include activating and using the Safe Zone, and users can also see the options menu at any time. However, Stanton believes that such features should either be included by default or be more easily accessible.
“Companies are trying to avoid the topic of online harassment and lie to you that you can take care of yourself in virtual reality,” said the expert. For him, the example with the letter V in QuiVr is quite adequate – a symbol that is easy to use and clearly signals how the player feels.
That is why he is convinced that Meta urgently needs more understandable and accessible ways to protect their avatars, otherwise sexual harassment could become more frequent.
“Otherwise, Metaverse will become a dangerous and problematic place,” Stanton said.
