It was in 2023 that the girl’s avatar, or digital character, was raped in the game Horizon Worlds, writes Daily Mail. The game, which is run by Facebook owner Meta, is classified as “virtual reality”, a computer technology created to simulate real or imagined environments.
The girl was under 16 when the suspected abuse occurred and, according to the newspaper, became desperate. The rape is said to have been carried out by several strange men, but to protect the victim, more details about how it all happened have not been made public.
The police have now launched a criminal investigation which is described as the first of its kind.
– This child experienced a psychological trauma similar to someone who has been physically raped. There is an emotional and psychological impact on the victim that goes beyond any physical injury, a police officer with knowledge of the case told the Daily Mail.
Multiple virtual assaults
According to the newspaper, there have been a number of reported sexual assaults at Horizon Worlds. However, in order for someone to be convicted of rape in the UK, the victim must have been physically exposed.
– It poses a number of challenges for law enforcement because current legislation is not created for this, say the police.
In Horizon Worlds, users create animated versions of themselves, which they can design and control while wearing their VR goggles and headset. The experience is described as “immersive”.
Meta is criticized
Ian Critchley, of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), says BBC that Metaverse, which is the collective name for Meta’s virtual services, needs to do more to protect its users.
– They have created a platform for sex offenders to commit horrific crimes against children, crimes that we know have a lifelong impact, both emotionally and mentally. We need to see a lot more action from tech companies to do more to make their platforms safe places.
“The type of behavior described has no place on our platform, which is why for all users we have an automatic protection called personal boundary, which keeps people you don’t know a few meters away from you,” Meta said in a statement.