{"id":603628,"date":"2024-01-05T12:12:50","date_gmt":"2024-01-05T09:12:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/why-sexual-assaults-in-the-metaverse-are-so-hard-to-prosecute\/"},"modified":"2024-01-05T12:12:50","modified_gmt":"2024-01-05T09:12:50","slug":"why-sexual-assaults-in-the-metaverse-are-so-hard-to-prosecute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-sexual-assaults-in-the-metaverse-are-so-hard-to-prosecute\/","title":{"rendered":"#Why sexual assaults in the metaverse are so hard to prosecute"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3e70f7eb330\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3e70f7eb330\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-sexual-assaults-in-the-metaverse-are-so-hard-to-prosecute\/#New_rules_needed\" >New rules needed?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-sexual-assaults-in-the-metaverse-are-so-hard-to-prosecute\/#Policing_the_metaverse\" >Policing the metaverse\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image?fit=796%2C417&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn0.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2024%2F01%2FUntitled-design-5.jpg&amp;signature=a986d923e78734117c6d6fe64ece3462\" \/><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-main-content\">\n                            <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Britain\u2019s first police investigation into a \u201cvirtual rape\u201d has little chance of leading to a prosecution, according to legal experts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The victim of the alleged assault was a girl aged under 16. According to a report this week in the <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-12917329\/Police-launch-investigation-kind-virtual-rape-metaverse.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mail Online<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the child was wearing a VR headset and playing a video <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> when a group of adult men \u201csexually attacked\u201d her avatar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although there was no physical injury, officers said she suffered real physical and emotional trauma. They added that such attacks are rife on metaverse platforms \u2014 but none have resulted in prosecution in the UK. That trend looks set to continue.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe current legislation surrounding sexual offences such as sexual assault and rape requires a form of physical touching,\u201d Alice Trotter, a criminal litigation associate at law firm <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kingsleynapley.co.uk\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kingsley Napley<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, told TNW via email.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThis means that in order to cover a virtual sexual offence, the law would need to attribute a legal personality to the avatars, so that their \u2018physical\u2019 touching would be covered by the law.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As this is yet to h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>en, existing legislation wouldn\u2019t cover a contact offence in a virtual world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"c-richText__pullQuote\">\n<div class=\"c-richText__pullQuoteGradient\">\n<p class=\"c-richText__pullQuoteQuote\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cTech companies cannot be expected to prevent every harmful act<\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A clearer route to conviction could involve a prosecution for harassment or stalking. These offences are more tailored to apply online, where they\u2019re increasingly common.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yet they too are challenging to prosecute, as the behaviour typically needs to have occurred on more than one occasion. Furthermore, the suspect must have known or suspected that their conduct would cause alarm or distress.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThese occasions can occur in quick succession, but if it is one single (albeit horrible) instance, there may be some difficulties in prosecuting it under this law,\u201d said Trotter, who last year published a blog on <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kingsleynapley.co.uk\/insights\/blogs\/criminal-law-blog\/virtual-policing-into-the-metaverse\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">virtual policing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A second potential route to prosecution involves the age of the alleged victim.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As she was reportedly 16 years old, a section of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 that covers interactions with children could be applied.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt could be that police could say that perpetrators are having a sexual communication with a child,\u201d said Gregor Pryor, a partner in the entertainment and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a> team at law firm Reed Smith, which has created a legal <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reedsmith.com\/en\/perspectives\/metaverse\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">guide to the metaverse<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"New_rules_needed\"><\/span><strong>New rules needed?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The limits of existing legislation have sparked calls for new criminal offences that cover sexual conduct in the metaverse.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This could involve amending current laws or creating entirely new ones. Either way, the move will face a common obstacle for tech oversight: lawmaking struggles to keep pace with digital advances.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s an issue that\u2019s caused chaos in the passage of the EU\u2019s Artificial Intelligence Act. The first draft of the regulation was written back in 2021, but the generative AI boom triggered extensive amendments that were only agreed upon last month. By the time the act applies, there may be another new AI wave that the rulebook can\u2019t contain.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cSome aspects of digital laws are outdated the moment they land in society,\u201d Jake Moore, a global cybersecurity advisor at Slovakian antivirus firm <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eset.com\/\">ESET<\/a>, told TNW. \u201cThis can leave victims fending for themselves in many situations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still, doesn\u2019t mean that new tech legislation is useless. To illustrate the positive impact that they can have, Moore points to the UK\u2019s Online Safety Act, which <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">became law<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> last October.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The law introduced four new criminal offences: harm-based communication, false communication, threatening communication, and cyber-flashing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThese measures represent a significant step forward,\u201d Moore said. \u201cThis is of course if those behind the offences can be identified \u2014 the most difficult aspect of online crime investigations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Policing_the_metaverse\"><\/span><strong>Policing the metaverse\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another problem for prosecutors is the blurry geographical borders of the metaverse, which doesn\u2019t neatly align with legal jurisdictions. Moreover, a virtual world doesn\u2019t typically produce physical evidence of crime.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There\u2019s also an argument that resources would be better used elsewhere. In response to the virtual rape investigation, critics note that any new funding should focus on <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/society\/2023\/jun\/29\/backlog-adult-cases-courts-england-wales-hits-record-high\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the record backlog<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of physical rape cases.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because of all these issues, policing of the metaverse will remain largely left to platform operators.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some have responded by adding digital safeguards. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meta\u2019s Horizon Worlds, for instance, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.meta.com\/en-gb\/help\/quest\/articles\/horizon\/safety-and-privacy-in-horizon-worlds\/personal-boundary-horizon-worlds\/\">now offers<\/a> a <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cpersonal boundary\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> setting that stops unknown avatars from entering a specific radius of another player. The feature was launched after numerous reports of sexual harassment in the VR game.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pryor expects tech firms to take on greater responsibility for their users. But he warns that they can\u2019t stop every online offence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology<\/a> companies cannot possibly be expected to prevent every single act that may be harmful on the internet,\u201d he said. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cHowever, as artificial intelligence and detection capacity improve, it may be the case that technology solves the problem that technology may have caused.\u201d<\/span>\n                        <\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/why-virtual-rape-is-hard-prosecuted\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Britain\u2019s first police investigation into a \u201cvirtual rape\u201d has little chance of leading to a prosecution, according to legal experts. The victim of the alleged assault was a girl aged under 16. According to a report this week in the Mail Online, the child was wearing a VR headset and playing a video game when&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":603629,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw-blurple?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2024\/01\/Untitled-design-5.jpg&signature=9f7c5158f82fd4bc4d8c10ee73b4f7b8","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-603628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/603628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=603628"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/603628\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/603629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=603628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=603628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=603628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}