The “personal boundary” system will give users two feet of virtual personal space.
Women users have long complained of sexual harassment and assault in virtual reality role playing tech.
To combat that expectation in its new metaverse product, Meta (MVRS) – Get Meta Report, the new name of a recently rebranded Facebook, said this week it will introduce steps to create digital boundaries for all its current VR participants.
The company said it will do that by launching a “personal boundary” to combat harassment in the VR platforms Horizon Worlds and Venues.
Harassment In The Virtual World
The Oculus-enabled Horizon World live event service, a free “Second Life”-like platform where users can explore the virtual world and play games with friends or strangers, went public last year after a long period of beta testing.
During that testing period, one beta user complained that her avatar had been groped by a stranger, according to The Verge.
“Sexual harassment is no joke on the regular internet, but being in VR adds another layer that makes the event more intense,” wrote the tester on Facebook. “Not only was I groped last night, but there were other people there who supported this behavior which made me feel isolated in the Plaza.”
Bubbles And Blocked
Facebook acknowledges the beta tester’s complaints, and noted that there were built-in safety features she didn’t utilize.
But two months later, after facing criticism for blaming the victim for not knowing all the ins and outs of the system, the company is now making its “personal boundary” bubbles the default setting, rather than something that has to be turned on.
Now all users in Horizon World and Venues will come with an automatic invisible virtual barrier around their avatars, which will prevent other people from getting too close.
The radius will be two feet in either direction, or four virtual feet between avatars. Users will not be able to disable this barrier, though they can fist-bump or high five other users.
Future updates to the platforms could enable users to adjust the size of the radius.
If another user tries to walk or teleport within one personal space, their forward motion will automatically stop. You will also be able to move past another avatar, so someone can’t use their bubble to trap you in a virtual space.
More Meta, More Problems
Companies from Microsoft to Meta are betting big on the metaverse, particularly the world of interactive video games.
The jury’s still out on whether Mack Zuckerberg’s dreams of a world in which we all strap on a VR headset to attend an office meeting as virtual avatars will happen. But based on the stock market this week, it’s not looking great.
Video games and other entertainment products are another matter entirely. Seen as a way to monetize the metaverse, those venues could drive more users to overcome their suspicions and play a few games with their friends.
Now, with a potential revenue stream on the line, it’s in the best interest of Meta, and other companies, to nip any bad press in the bud and make users feel as safe as possible when visiting their online worlds.
