A 16-year-old girl from the UK was allegedly 'gang-raped' virtually in the metaverse, triggering a groundbreaking police investigation.
This has raised debate regarding the policing of virtual crimes amid a pre-existing backlog of real-world rape cases.
UK authorities are probing into what is potentially the first report of a virtual sexual assault, after a teenager's avatar was attacked by a group of online users in a VR game, according to The New York Post. Despite not being physically harmed, the girl reportedly experienced significant emotional and psychological distress.
Law enforcement acknowledges the difficulty in addressing such cases with current laws. The exact game in which the incident occurred has not been disclosed.
The UK Home Secretary, James Cleverly, has recognized the severity of the psychological harm experienced, emphasizing that the immersive nature of virtual reality makes such incidents impactful and that perpetrators of digital crimes could pose real-world threats.
Meta, the parent company of
Facebook, responded to reports of virtual assaults in its VR game "Horizon Worlds" by highlighting safety features like the 'personal boundary' function meant to prevent such abuse. Nonetheless, the company stated that such behaviors are unacceptable within their platforms.