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9 Comments

A researcher's avatar was sexually assaulted on the Meta metaverse platform

submitted this link to Icon for group Ethics
Ethics
on May 31, 2022
  1. 2

    Eww, feel bad for her for sure.

    I still don't know why we need or want a 'metaverse'?

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      Neither do I....🤦🤷

  2. 1

    Didn't we already go through this in 1993? What exactly has changed since then?

  3. 1

    This is completely crazy and weird and messed up.

  4. 1

    No wonder investors are concerned - their money could be going into a platform that provides the potential for abuse and harassment. I'm curious to see how this evolves - perhaps companies like these will find it increasingly difficult to attract funding.

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      This comment was deleted 4 years ago.

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      This comment was deleted 3 years ago.

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        The article says "The researcher noted her controller vibrated when the male avatars touched her, resulting in a physical sensation that was a result of what she was experiencing online." - I don't think the sensation of proximity with the victim is quite the same on other social networks. Obviously, it's wrong in any event. But I do think there's potential to do greater harm, especially given it's a space in which there are fewer regulations (if any).

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          This comment was deleted 3 years ago.

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            Do you mean the metaverse is doing a disservice or the researcher's claim is?

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              This comment was deleted 3 years ago.

  5. 1

    Wow...speechless. As the article explains, "Mark Zuckerberg is playing the long game with his investment, recently saying the project could continue to lose money for three to five years."

    There's clearly a long way to go if this sort of thing can happen in virtual reality.

    1. 1

      I listened to his episode on the Tim Ferriss Podcast recently and it was hard not to like him - I think he's onto something with the metaverse. From what he described, I agree there's a lot of potential. But I also agree, as you say, there's still a long way to go. Here's the full episode in case you're interested:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-kALfaofek

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    This comment was deleted 4 years ago.

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    This comment was deleted 3 years ago.

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