Tech News

The metaverse has a problem checking back

[ad_1]

Katherine Cross, a researcher on cybercrime at the University of Washington, says that while the realities are deep and real, the toxic behavior found in those places is real. “At the end of the day, the real nature of the site is that it is designed to persuade the user to assume that they are in a certain place, that all their physical activity is taking place in 3D,” he says. . “It’s one of the reasons that emotional impact can be so strong in those areas, and that’s why VR triggers the inner nervous system and emotional responses.”

This was the case with the woman who rode on Horizon Worlds. According to The Verge, his post stated: “Torture is not a joke on the Internet, but being in VR adds another dimension to the game. Not only did I pass last night, but there were other people there who agreed with this that made me feel special. at the Plaza. [the virtual environment’s central gathering space]. ”

Rape and harassment in real countries are not uncommon, and it is not necessary to expect a world where these issues will end. As long as there are people who hide behind their computers to avoid moral responsibility, it will continue to happen.

The real problem, perhaps, is related to the idea that when you play a game or participate in the real world, there is what Stanton describes as a “relationship between producer and player.” “As a footballer, I agree that I can do what I want in the world of these players according to their rules,” he said. But once the contract expires and I no longer feel comfortable, the responsibility of the company is to bring the player back wherever he wants and return to be comfortable.

The question is: Whose responsibility is it to ensure that users are comfortable? Meta, for example, claims that it gives users access to weapons to be safer, and alters their chances.

“We want everyone at Horizon Worlds to have a good knowledge of and security tools that are easy to access – and it is not a user’s problem if they do not use everything we provide,” Meta spokeswoman Kristina Milian said. “We will continue to improve our UI and understand how people use our tools so that users can communicate more easily and reliably. Our goal is to make Horizon Worlds safer, and we are committed to doing this.”

Milian said users should follow the login process before joining Horizon Worlds which teaches them how to set up Safe Zone. He also said regular reminders are posted on posters and posters within Horizon Worlds.

FACEBOOK

image of Safe Zone interface
Images in Safe Zone format with Meta permission

FACEBOOK

But the fact that the victim of Meta either did not think of using Safe Zone or could not find it exactly problem, says Cross. “The question of knowledge is the biggest problem for me,” he says. “Often, when companies talk about cyberbullying, their response is to send it to users and say, ‘Here, we give you the power to take care of it.’

And that is unfair and ineffective. Security should be simple and accessible, and there are many suggestions for this to happen. For Stanton, that would take some kind of universal brand — perhaps a Quivr’s V-shape — that would give supervisors that something was wrong. Fox wonders if the distance is obvious unless two people agree to stay close it can help. And Cross believes it would be helpful for education to be more explicit about what happens in real life: “In the real world, you can’t pass it on to anyone, and you have to take it to the real world.”

Until we find out who is responsible for protecting users, one major step towards a safe haven is to punish perpetrators, who are often not ashamed to be eligible to participate online even if their behavior is known. “We want restrictions,” Fox says. This means making sure that perpetrators are found and stopped or banned. (Milian said Meta “[doesn’t] report each case ”when asked about what happened to the suspect.)

Stanton regrets that he did not force himself to take the power of electricity and failed to talk much about what Belamire did. “It was a lost opportunity,” she says. “We could have avoided what happened to Meta.”

If anything is clear, it is this: No organization is responsible for the freedom and security of all participants online, even in specific countries. Until something changes, the metaverse will remain a dangerous, difficult place.

[ad_2]

Source link

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button