info@imetatech.ioOur Global Presence : 
India 
Dubai
Our Global Presence : India Dubai
Metaverse is the kinda technology designed for everyone irrespective of ages or gender. Unfortunately, it is disappointing to hear that sexual assaults are happening in the Virtual Metaverse as well.
Metaverse could be used for virtual education, healthcare, manufacturing, research and entertainment. So, we need to be cautious that it adheres to be a safer place too.
Hopefully, tech people also believe that virtual harassment should not stop the Metaverse potential. They want to guide the Metaverse wave in positive direction.
In order to sort this harassment issues, the continual efforts are being carried out by the Metaverse developers who can equip a safer virtual space with the help of Government.
In this article, we are going to see what technological advancements can be done to mitigate the risks of sexual assaults in Metaverse.
You can also know about the current measures and limitations in the virtual space.
Image source - Meta
Meta, the company responsible for the Metaverse hype, had come up with a solution called 4-foot safety bubbles around the avatar. The executive had said that “this feature would make it easier to avoid unwanted interactions."
It allows users to create layered shields around their avatars that prevent others from approaching too close.
This provides a degree of personal space and can deter unwanted advances. However, some argue it feels exclusionary and limits the immersive nature of the platform.
Image source - Meta
Most Metaverse platforms offer options to mute and block individual users, effectively silencing disruptive or offensive behavior.
While this is helpful, these tools rely on self-reporting and may not capture all instances of harassment.
For example, people with the wrong thought group together and unblock the individual blocks.
We have reporting systems in all ages of the web. But the intruders are still finding a way to trick the systems. Even though most metverse platforms have reporting systems for abusive behavior, the effectiveness varies widely.
Some lack clear reporting guidelines, making it difficult for victims to identify the appropriate category for their experience. Simply, they don’t know how to report or what to report.
Some metaverse platforms don’t have people in place to audit the reports; obviously users experience slow response times or inadequate investigations, leaving victims feeling unheard and discouraged.
Moderation teams overview metaverse space just like how police monitor the crowd. They will be working on removing the flagged and abusive content.
When the abusive thing doesn't catch the police's eyes due to the massive crowd, it is left unnoticed.
Likewise, the moderation goes out of control when the large amount of data has fled in Metaverse. Additionally, harassment content can be lost in language translation as moderation teams don’t have all language efficiency.
It requires AI tools and human moderators should be trained in parallel to recognize forms of virtual assault.
Applying digital etiquettes can be really helpful in a way how communication in Metaverse should be conceived. In Metaverse avatar development, you can represent a light surrounding the avatars that expands or contracts based on their comfort level.
Green for open to interaction, yellow for cautious, and red for wanting privacy. This visual clue can immediately inform others how to approach, giving respect for personal space.
Moreover, based on the interaction level with the peers, the level can be unlocked as the person is familiar with each other.
Gestures can be utilized maximum to promote universal language understanding. A thumbs-up for agreeing, a hand wave for hello, and a crossed-arms stance for "not interested" can help in consent and respect.
Consent Circles can pop up around avatars during intimate interactions, requiring both parties to explicitly agree before proceeding.
Metaverse development companies need to create interactive simulations where users can experience various scenarios of potential harassment in testing mode.
This can help them stay prevented in approaching safe interaction inside Metaverse.
As Metaverse is poised to rule every area of lifestyle, companies developing Metaverse apps need to adopt technological advancements.
Traditional content moderation relies on keyword filters and flagging. But AI based filtering systems can analyze voice tone, facial expressions, and even avatar posture to detect potentially harmful interactions.
AI can be trained in a way to recognize distress in a victim's virtual voice or identify abnormal behavior patterns based on avatar proximity and movement.
However, basic moderation like detecting potentially harmful language and gestures in real-time is an easier task for the AI to handle.
AI can prompt users to respect personal space based on avatar proximity or suggesting an action based on potentially offensive language.
We understand the fact humans can’t survey the Metaverse platform 24/7 all the time. Unlike human moderators, AI can effortlessly monitor any big metaverse with a huge volume of users.
But in-order to train the AI model or adapt to the rising scenarios, human centered approach is also advisable.
Advanced algorithms can analyze hundreds of behavior patterns in a blink. If the assault is happening outside of the patterns trained, AI should trigger the moderation team where there is a human being.
AI can create "safe zones" where unwanted interactions are automatically disabled.
As the Metaverse gets its full potential developed, there are some pitfalls like virtual assaults that should be strongly addressed.
This is a serious issue since virtual abuse can lead to significant mental health challenges and trauma.
Being the Metaverse development company with successful projects like Mazimatic, we enable AI sentiment analysis and proactive moderation in every Metaverse project taken care of.
Meanwhile, what we feel is that International government collaboration is needed in establishing a proper legal framework for punishments.
This may sound challenging as Metaverse is borderless and mutual involvement is needed from all sides.
Because technology only limits the factors that we define as sexual harassment. Investigation is needed to give intruders a fear of approaching.
If the platform automatically finds any suspicious activities, it should be reported to the respective jurisdiction and investigated. This is where the future of Metaverse can be kept healthy as we hope towards.
References
nypost.com/2024/01/13/tech/i-was-gang-raped-in-the-metaverse-my-trauma-is-very-real/
Get the latest insights on blockchain, Web3 straight to your inbox
