The platform virtual reality from Goal, formerly known as Facebook’s megacorporation, Horizon Worlds, has barely reached the public, and users are already falling victim to sexual harassment and even assaulted, reports The Verge.
“Sexual harassment is not a joke on the Internet, but being in virtual reality adds another layer that makes the event more intense,” wrote the user in the official Horizon Facebook group, quoted by The Verge. “Not only did they grope me last night, but there were other people who supported this behavior that made me feel isolated in the Plaza.”
Meta Horizon Vice President Vivek Sharma called the situation “absolutely unfortunate” in an interview with The Verge. “That is a good answer for us because I want you to [la función Safe Zone] trivially easy and easy to find, ”Sharma said.
Metaverso does not promote a culture of sexual harassment
The first case of “virtual sexual harassment” is recorded in the metaverse.
Rather than make sure Horizon Worlds doesn’t foster a culture of strangers groping each other in VR, Meta hopes the problem will go away by making adjustments to its tools.
The company says users can activate a feature called a “Safe Zone,” which creates an impenetrable bubble around the user when they want more space. But personal space is likely to be an irritating problem for social VR apps.
“I think people should keep in mind that sexual harassment has never had to be a physical thing,” Jesse Fox, associate professor at Ohio State University, told MIT Technology Review. “It can be verbal and yes, it can also be a virtual experience.”
Meta Approach does not inspire trust in users
The first case of “virtual sexual harassment” is recorded in the metaverse.
Meta’s approach isn’t exactly confidence inspiring and seems to continue the controversial topics of Facebook’s history. You’re transferring at least some of the responsibility to your users by providing them with tools like Safe Zone, as well as assigning moderators to each VR space.
“We will continue to improve our user interface and to better understand how people use our tools so that users can report things easily and reliably,” the spokeswoman for Goal, Kristina Milian. “Our goal is to make Horizon Worlds safe and we are committed to doing that job.”
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