Although virtual, the metaverse seems to be experiencing real-world problems. Following an alleged sexual assault, Meta decided to add new functionality to the system to ensure that avatars’ personal space is not invaded.
This feature is called Personal Limit.
A Meta announced on Friday that it is adding a new feature to its metaverse in an attempt to combat harassment in virtual reality. This, after a woman claimed to have been the victim of sexual assault by a group of avatars.
The feature is called Personal Limit and, as Zuckerberg's company said, it will prevent other users' avatars from “invading your avatar's personal space” in the metaverse. The new feature is being rolled out to Horizon Worlds and Horizon Venues.
Woman claims to have been a victim of sexual violence in the metaverse
According to Meta, “if someone tries to enter your Personal Limit, the system will suspend their forward movement as the limit is reached”. This limit will be detected by the system when approaching four meters.
We believe that Personal Boundary is a powerful example of how virtual reality has the potential to help people interact comfortably.
Meta's decision follows a complaint made by British Nina Jane Patel, 43. It claims to have been "virtually breached" during Meta's tests of Horizon Worlds last year.
60 seconds after joining I was verbally and sexually harassed by 3-4 male avatars, with male voices, basically gangs raped my avatar and took pictures.
In a statement made to The Post, Nina Jane Patel called for Meta to introduce stricter anti-harassment features.
Metaverse harassment is a serious issue that the industry needs to address to put the right controls and security measures in place.
Said Nina.
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