A mother has described how a gang sexually assaulted her less than a minute after she entered Facebook’s virtual online world.
Nina Jane Patel watched and listened in horror through a virtual-reality headset as her avatar – a moving, talking, computer-generated version of herself – was groped aggressively in a sustained attack by three realistic male characters.
Her braying assailants struck in full view of others who had logged into Facebook’s version of the ‘metaverse’ – an online world in which users’ avatars meet and interact and explore a fast-growing network of virtual locations such as cities, country scenes or cafes.
Looking forward to experiencing this immersive, animated world on her computer, the 43-year-old from Lambeth, South London, had logged into the Horizon Venues metaverse and created her avatar.
Nina Jane Patel watched and listened in horror through a virtual-reality headset as her avatar – a moving, talking, computer-generated version of herself – was groped aggressively in a sustained attack by three realistic male characters
On a visit this month, the mother-of-four entered the ‘lobby’ – a virtual space serving as an entry point. But within seconds she was pursued by the men’s avatars, who groped her, subjected her to a stream of sexual innuendo and took screen shots of the attack for several minutes as she tried to flee.
She had to tear off her headset – which covers her eyes and allows her to see the metaverse as her avatar sees it – to end the ordeal.
While she could not actually feel the avatars’ hands, Mrs Patel has suffered from anxiety since the attack – and fears for the safety of her three teenage girls and other women in this lawless virtual world.
She said: ‘I entered the Horizon Venues metaverse as an avatar who looked just like me – middle-aged, blonde and dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved top.
‘The space you enter is a lobby, like a theatre foyer. Within 60 seconds, three male avatars – who all had male voices – came towards me and touched me inappropriately.
‘Before I knew what was happening, they were taking screen shots of them touching my avatar, both my upper and lower body. While doing that, they said things like, “Don’t pretend you don’t love it.”
‘I tried to move away but they followed me. I didn’t know who these people were or have the time to stay and investigate.’
On a visit this month, the mother-of-four entered the ‘lobby’ – a virtual space serving as an entry point. But within seconds she was pursued by the men’s avatars, who groped her, subjected her to a stream of sexual innuendo and took screen shots of the attack for several minutes as she tried to flee
Mrs Patel’s experience will heighten fears that the metaverse, which experts predict could be worth up to £500 billion a year by 2024, will become a haunt for sex attackers and paedophiles.
A senior lawyer said the attack was not an offence, but suggested Ministers may have to consider how to protect those entering the metaverse. Nick Brett, of London law firm Brett Wilson, said: ‘Where a woman has been sexually assaulted virtually, that itself possibly ought to be illegal but isn’t at present.’
He said the Sexual Offences Act 2003 may need to be amended to prosecute people who hide behind avatars, adding: ‘There have previously been amendments – most recently on up-skirting – so there is no reason why it couldn’t be.’
The attack wasn’t the first time Mrs Patel had seen the darker side of the metaverse.
Referring to one of her first visits to Horizon Venues in December, she said: ‘There was what sounded like a young girl, maybe about ten, being accosted by what sounded and looked like a male. The male avatar was forcing his face on to hers and she was yelling, “Stop it. Get off me.” Other avatars just stood by.’
Venues has introduced a ‘safe zone’ – a bubble that avatars enter to avoid interaction with others – but Mrs Patel says the website’s protection is still woefully inadequate.
‘Friends and colleagues have experienced racism, sexism and other forms of assault on the metaverse,’ she said. ‘I’ve heard many damaging experiences from women where their avatars have been sexually and verbally abused.’
Users of Venues must be aged at least 18, but critics say it is easy for youngsters to lie about their age.
Mrs Patel said: ‘I am a mother of three daughters and a son and I have many concerns about letting them go into this seemingly fun, inviting area only to encounter dangerous and damaging behaviour.’
Mrs Patel’s experience will heighten fears that the metaverse, which experts predict could be worth up to £500 billion a year by 2024, will become a haunt for sex attackers and paedophiles. A senior lawyer said the attack was not an offence, but suggested Ministers may have to consider how to protect those entering the metaverse
She is now creating Kabuni, her own educational metaverse for children aged eight to 16, with stricter parental controls.
‘This technology will be prevalent in our children’s futures, so my mission is to create safe and secure virtual-reality experiences,’ she said.
A spokesman for Meta, Facebook’s parent company, said of Mrs Patel’s experience: ‘We’re sorry to hear this happened. Horizon Venues should be safe and we are committed to building it that way. We will continue to make improvements as we learn more about how people interact in these spaces, especially helping people report things easily and reliably.’
However, Mrs Patel is not the only user to have been abused, if reviews on the Venues website are anything to go by. Darren627025 said: ‘Within minutes I was getting abuse.’
DamicodNov said: ‘Horrible experience. It is overwhelming to be harassed as soon as you enter.’
Ladybug137 said: ‘Was sexually harassed within 30 seconds!’
How on-screen world works
The Horizon Venues metaverse was launched by Facebook in 2020. Users create an avatar by choosing a gender and selecting from a range of skin tones, body shapes, hairstyles and clothes.
Users speak through their avatars via the microphone on their virtual-reality headsets – which cover their eyes and let them see from the point of view of their avatar – to interact with others. You can’t see the real person but you hear their voice. Users also wear controllers on their wrists to move their avatar, which has a text bubble above its head so others can see the user’s online name.
If a user feels threatened, their avatars can enter a protective ‘safe zone’ bubble in which no one can touch them or talk to them.