British police investigate virtual assault on avatar | Abroad

Police said the victim, who was less than 16 years old at the time, suffered psychological trauma “similar to that of someone who has been physically raped.” The impact of the attack on the girl’s avatar is said to have been amplified by the immersive VR experience.

The virtual incident did not result in physical harm, but did cause “psychological trauma.” British police are calling on platforms to take action and protect their users.

Ian Critchley of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) says the metaverse, an umbrella term for a range of 3D virtual spaces and technologies, has created a “gateway for predators to commit horrific crimes against children, crimes that we know will last a lifetime.” have consequences, both emotionally and mentally.”

In criminal law, rape and sexual assault require that there has been physical contact. Legal changes are needed to effectively punish perpetrators of virtual abuse.

Computer scientist Jeroen Baert said on Radio 1 that the impact of VR technology cannot be underestimated. The virtual world raises many ethical issues, including (sexual) transgressive behavior.

It is therefore not the first time that there have been complaints about sexually inappropriate behavior in the metaverse. In 2022, researcher Nina Jane Patel revealed that she was sexually assaulted in a virtual world, ‘Horizon Venues’, operated by Meta: “I was surrounded by three to four avatars who sounded and presented as male. They started harassing me verbally and then sexually assaulting my avatar.”

She said they used misogynistic language and “continued to touch her avatar in a way that can only be described as a sexual assault.”

It is now being suggested that new laws be drawn up as quickly as possible so that perpetrators can be punished or that existing laws on sexual abuse be amended so that they can also be applied to the virtual world.