Meta Introduces ‘Personal Boundaries’ In Metaverse To Restrain Virtual Creeps
Yes, social distancing is part of etiquette in the virtual world too. Following reports that beta testers experienced harassment on Horizon Worlds, Meta’s virtual reality (VR) platform, the company is introducing new ‘Personal Boundaries’ in an attempt to put a stop to creeps in the metaverse.
According to Mashable, this new initiative will be set up as a four-foot barrier between avatars, and will always be in use by default. While Meta’s concept images show the boundary as a bubble, it’ll appear as an invisible barrier on the platform.
Horizon Worlds’ Vice President Vivek Sharma explained that if a user tries to move their avatar forward to penetrate the barrier, the system will automatically halt any movement. This will occur without any haptic feedback alerting the user to the boundary.
This move comes after a beta tester’s account went viral in December as she recounted being sexually harassed by a user on the site. Last month, as per Insider, another woman reported a separate incident of being virtually groped by a gang of male avatars.
Meta hopes the new feature will create “more personal space for people” and make it “easier to avoid unwanted interactions,” though it remains to be seen if the initiative will actually put a stop to online harassment in its VR world.
