Can we commit real crimes in virtual reality? If so, might this lead to a whole new legal system of meta-police and meta-courts? Or will our existing system be overwhelmed?
Anger over sexual assault in Metaverse
Can we commit real crimes in virtual reality? If so, might this lead to a whole new legal system of meta-police and meta-courts? Or will our existing system be overwhelmed?
Two men and a woman stand in a room. The men are relaxed. But the woman is looking increasingly anxious. Suddenly, one of the men reaches out and touches her without her consent.
Everyone can agree: this is a crime. But what if the man and woman are not people, but avatarsA figure representing a specific person in a video game or online world. ? And what if the room they are standing in is not a physical room, but a virtual room within the metaverseAn online virtual world. A combination of meta, meaning beyond, and universe. ? Is it still a crime?
The female avatar was based on a real person, a 21-year-old researcher for the campaign group SumOfUsA global organisation that campaigns to hold corporations to account on issues such as climate change and corruption. . She recorded the events as they took place in Horizon Worlds, a part of Facebook's Meta - a new virtual reality platform.
Experts are warning incidents like this may become commonplace.
The metaverse, described as the next evolution of the Internet, is taking off.
Estimates suggest that by 2026, 25% of people will spend one hour or more per day in the metaverse. But anywhere large crowds gather, there is the potential for people to do bad things.
It is not just sexual assault. Anything that can take place in the real world, from murder and theft to car parking offences, could take place in the metaverse.
For some, the idea that crimes can occur in the metaverse is ridiculous. The philosophers Nathan Wildman and Neil McDonnell argue that as virtual objects are fiction, they cannot be stolen. Likewise, when an avatar is killed, the real person it represents does not die.
Others say the harm caused by virtual wrongs is very real. The key to understanding this, claims author David ChalmersAn Australian philosopher and cognitive scientist. He is the author of Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy. , is by recognising that virtual reality is an extension of the real world.
Yet accepting virtual wrongs as real-life crimes creates a new dilemma: how to punish online offenders.
Virtual banishment and imprisonment are one option, but it is easy to sidestep bans by reappearing as a new avatar.
Some are calling for police involvement. In 2012, the Dutch Supreme Court upheld the conviction of two teenagers for stealing another player's virtual amuletThe court decided that the time and effort put into obtaining the amulet meant it had real value. in Runescape.
Legal cases pose challenges too. It is difficult to find anonymous people, and police forces are already overwhelmed by crimes taking place in the physical world.
One thing is clear: as we incorporate more of our everyday lives into the metaverse, the line between physical and virtual is going to become increasingly blurred.
Can we commit real crimes in virtual reality?
Yes: Actions that take place in virtual reality can cause harm in the physical world. The metaverse will be a vital part of all of our lives. Online perpetrators should not be able to hide behind a screen.
No: The metaverse is not the real world. Actions in virtual reality do not affect people in the same way as crimes in the physical world. Investigating virtual crimes would be an absurd waste of time.
Or... This is not a new issue. For years, people around the world have used their avatars to wreak havoc and destruction in video and online games. Few would say this is a crime.
Keywords
Avatars - A figure representing a specific person in a video game or online world.
Metaverse - An online virtual world. A combination of meta, meaning beyond, and universe.
SumOfUs - A global organisation that campaigns to hold corporations to account on issues such as climate change and corruption.
David Chalmers - An Australian philosopher and cognitive scientist. He is the author of Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy.
Virtual amulet - The court decided that the time and effort put into obtaining the amulet meant it had real value.
Anger over sexual assault in Metaverse
Glossary
Avatars - A figure representing a specific person in a video game or online world.
Metaverse - An online virtual world. A combination of meta, meaning beyond, and universe.
SumOfUs - A global organisation that campaigns to hold corporations to account on issues such as climate change and corruption.
David Chalmers - An Australian philosopher and cognitive scientist. He is the author of Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy.
Virtual amulet - The court decided that the time and effort put into obtaining the amulet meant it had real value.