Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

Virtual ‘gang rape’ results in new Meta feature

Virtual ‘gang rape’ results in new Meta feature

Social network rolls out personal force field for VR avatars blocking most touch
Meta, formerly Facebook, has added a “personal boundary” system to its Horizon virtual reality platform in response to concerns over virtual harassment. The feature, which creates an invisible and impenetrable force field with an “almost four-foot” radius around individual avatars, will be turned on by default in both the Horizon Worlds creation platform and the Horizon Venues live event host, Meta revealed in a blog post on Friday.

While users can apparently still stretch their arms past the new no-go zone in order to deliver high-fives, fist bumps, and other less intimate forms of greeting, a Meta spokesperson revealed users would not have the option of disabling their personal boundaries even if they wanted to be “groped” or otherwise touched. Users who try to touch others will find their movement blocked, and the would-be recipient of the touch will feel nothing.

According to the blog post, the Metaverse’s grope-proof pods are meant to establish standards for how people interact across all VR platforms. While Meta left the possibility open of eventually being able to customize the size of the no-go zones’ radius, removing touch from the equation may have unexpected negative results for Meta’s popularity.

Given that much of the internet’s evolution has been driven by the porn industry, eliminating physical intimacy from Meta’s version of virtual reality is likely to limit its appeal to certain demographics – no small concern given the company’s recent stock market tribulations.

Horizon Worlds beta tester Nina Jane Patel claimed she was virtually “groped” – an accusation she later leveled up to “gang raped” – after plugging in to the virtual reality platform in November. Within just a minute of signing in, she wrote on her blog at the time, she was set upon by “3 to 4 male avatars, with male voices” who “essentially, but virtually gang raped my avatar and took photos.” She is the only beta tester to go public with such allegations, and has parlayed her notoriety into what she describes as a child-friendly Metaverse equipped with parental controls, called Kabuni.

After investigating the incident, Meta determined that Patel hadn’t taken full advantage of existing isolation features, including a block button – which she admits, arguing it happened too fast for her to even think of “putting the safety barrier in place.” While the company suggested it would make the block button and other options “trivially easy and findable,” this was apparently not sufficient for harassment-proofing the Metaverse. Previous iterations of VR social media platforms have included personal space bubbles as an option that can be turned on and off, but Meta opted not to go that route.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
×