Virtual police may need to patrol the metaverse to keep users safe from abuse, according to a human trafficking expert.<\/p>\n
International human trafficking expert Matthew Friedman raised his concerns about criminals exploiting virtual reality in a recent article for theSouth China Morning Post.<\/p>\n
Friedman wrote: Safeguards must be put in place to prevent vulnerable individuals being harassed, or groomed into exploitative situations.<\/p>\n
Users need to be educated about the potential for human trafficking.<\/p>\n
For these worlds to be safe, online police might be required to patrol the environments and detect human-rights violations, before confronting the abusers in real life.<\/p>\n
Friedman is currently a chief executive officer of The Mekong Club, which fights human trafficking in Asia.<\/p>\n
The Hong Kong based-based organization is now looking into how it could help to fight human traffickers in the virtual world of the metaverse.<\/p>\n
Friedman claims its essential that organizations like his own are able to aid companies like Meta and Microsoft as they establish virtual worlds.<\/p>\n
The Mekong Club has already used virtual reality to allow people to have an eye-opening view into the crimes of sex trafficking and forced labor without being put in any physical danger.<\/p>\n
Although you enterthe metaverseas a virtual avatar, experts are concerned that avatars could be groomed.<\/p>\n
This grooming could lead to devastating real-life consequences for someone outside of the virtual world.<\/p>\n
Concerns about sexual assault inside the metaverse have already been made.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, a woman recounted aharrowing experiencein VR that left her feeling violated and unsafe.<\/p>\n
In aMedium blog post, Nina Patel, 43, describes how she was verbally and sexually harassed in Facebooks Metaverse.<\/p>\n
Upon entering the Horizon Venues Metaverse experience, Patel says she was accosted within 60 seconds of joining the lobby area.<\/p>\n
Her avatar which was made to mirror her real-life appearance was quickly surrounded by three to four male avatars, with male voices.<\/p>\n
I was verbally and sexually harassed, she recalls, adding that their inappropriate behavior took a dark turn.<\/p>\n
[They] virtually gang-raped my avatar and took photos as I tried to get away they yelled dont pretend you didnt love it and go rub yourself off to the photo.<\/p>\n
She describes the ordeal as surreal and a nightmare.<\/p>\n
Nina Patel isnt the only one whos experienced sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior in the game.<\/p>\n
Thereviews for Horizon Venuespaint a similarly sordid picture, and it currently has 2.5\/5 stars as a result.<\/p>\n
This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced here with permission. <\/p>\n
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Expert warns virtual police may need to patrol metaverse to stop human trafficking - New York Post<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Virtual police may need to patrol the metaverse to keep users safe from abuse, according to a human trafficking expert. Continue reading