News/Commentary

British police launch investigation of ‘virtual rape’ in the metaverse

January 3, 2024 | | Print Article

The Brits are among the more aggressive societies when it comes to policing social media activity. Still, law enforcement is taking that to another level in a case involving virtual rape.

“Police are investigating the first case of rape in the metaverse after a child was ‘attacked’ in a virtual reality video game. The girl under the age of 16 is said to have been left distraught after her avatar – her digital character – was gang raped by the online strangers,” the Daily Mail reported.

Bear in mind that there was no physical attack and that the “headset-wearing victim did not suffer any injuries,” the British tabloid further noted.

In what the Daily Mail believes to be the first time a virtual sexual offense has been investigated in the UK, police argue that the young girl suffered the same psychological and emotional trauma as someone who has been psychically raped when several adult males virtually attacked her in an online room.

Law enforcement is seeking legislation to better address what the newspaper described as “a wave of sexual offending” in the virtual realm of the metaverse.

More from the Daily Mail:

“Police leaders are now calling for legislation to tackle a wave of sexual offending in such a sphere, saying officers’ tactics must evolve to stop perverts using new technology to exploit children.

“But the landmark case has prompted questions about whether police should be pursuing virtual offences – given police and prosecutors are currently struggling with an enormous backlog of actual rape cases – and if such an attack should be prosecuted under current laws.”

 

“This child experienced psychological trauma similar to that of someone who has been physically raped. There is an emotional and psychological impact on the victim that is longer term than any physical injuries,” a senior official familiar with the case told the newspaper. “It poses a number of challenges for law enforcement given current legislation is not set up for this.”

There may be more questions than answers at this point, but social media users were not on board with the use of valuable police resources being employed in the case.

Here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story, as seen on X:

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