The era of the Metaverse has officially begun. Several of the world’s top firms, notably Meta (previously Facebook) and Microsoft, have invested heavily in the creation of the next wave. Users are flocking to metaverse platforms, with some even proposing to build on the blockchain. Are they safe, on the other hand? Is it feasible that internet mobbing has once again faded into obscurity? Is it safe for women and kids to enter the Metaverse? According to the latest research, we are still a long way from creating a secure Metaverse.

It’s understandable why the Metaverse is growing at such a breakneck speed. We currently live in a time where internet communication is the norm. We do our shopping online, and Amazon has grown to be four times larger than Walmart. Tinder is utilized all over the world, and it is used to organize meetings. Meetings and exchanges with the COVID-19-Pandemie can be done via Facetime, Zoom, or the return of Skype. The Metaverse is a standalone expansion, with most users using the games as a portal.

However, there’s no assurance; a Canadian lady recently told the New York Times about her experience. Chanelle Siggens is a great fan of Population One, a virtual reality game that can be played with Facebook’s Oculus VR gear. Another player’s avatar approached hers, grope her, and ejaculated on her as she was waiting for the game to begin. Your calls for assistance in stopping the abuse went unheard.

“He shrugged his shoulders, as if to say, I don’t know what I’m supposed to say to you. That is the Metaverse: I do what I want. Then he walked away.”

The untrustworthy Metaverse

On the internet, mobbing is nothing new. In its “traditional” form, it has been shown to be fatal-consider the number of individuals who have committed suicide after being swarmed online and powerless to stop it. In the Metaverse, however, the problem will be compounded. Virtual reality headsets and, in the future, virtual reality outfits that can produce and transmit real-world experiences will make the abuse real. According to Chanel Siggens, this is why:

“If anything unpleasant happens when someone approaches you and gropes you, your mind deceives you into thinking it’s occurring in the current world, and it’ll be far more severe in the whole Metaverse.”

It is especially relevant to women and minors, as it is in everyday life. In recent years, a number of women have formed self-help groups in order to document the abuse to which they have been subjected in virtual reality, and to assist victims in becoming ready.

Callum Hood, the Center for Countering Digital Hate’s research director, recently spent weeks studying digital exchanges on VRChat, a Metaverse-like virtual reality game. He logged over 100 problematic situations over the course of 11 hours. Some of these users were under the age of thirteen. The criminals made sexual or physical threats against these youngsters in certain circumstances.

“VRChat is vulnerable because its creators and Facebook neglected to take simple security precautions to prevent abusive people from accessing its services. They’ve established a refuge for abusive users while also welcoming kids into the Metaverse.”

Worse yet, those who should be taking action to stop the abuse are either unwilling or unable to do so. In an internal message to Facebook staff in March, Andrew Bosworth, who will take over as CTO next year, confessed defeat. According to Bosworth, it’s nearly impossible to monitor metaverse user behavior to any substantial degree. For the time being, a user may only block, report, and hope that the site takes action. Most offenders, according to Titania Jordan, a Bark executive, return to the platforms and harm other victims. Bark is a platform that employs artificial intelligence to keep an eye on children’s electronics for safety concerns.

“V.R. is a whole other level of complication. Even the capacity to recognize someone who is flagrantly abusing the rules and ban them forever or subject them to repercussions so they can’t just return is still being developed.”

Facebook/Meta is dedicated to ensuring that the Metaverse is a safe place for everyone. With its Oculus VR headsets, it’s one of the major participants in the field, so anything it does will have a huge influence on the route other firms take. Mark Zuckerberg has stated that he is devoted to ensuring that the virtual world is more secure.

Meta is engaging with politicians and experts on that pledge, according to Kristina Milian, a company spokesperson. She went on to say:

“We don’t accept content that discriminates against anyone based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, caste, sex, gender identity, sickness, or handicap.”

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Metaverse is a futuristic technology that will benefit humans in a variety of ways. However, this is only the beginning, and there are still numerous issues that are harming people. I wish that huge tech corporations like Facebook/Meta, Microsoft, and others relinquish their monopolistic positions in the Metaverse and the Metaverse becomes a free monopoly virtual world where everyone may manufacture their own goods. I also think that developers generate issues to address.