Recently, an underage girl in the UK reported that the virtual character she created in the Metaverse was "gang-raped" by a group of unfamiliar adult men.Can a person who is addicted to a virtual reality (VR) game wearing headphones and a headset without any physical harm be considered a rape victim? This issue has caused huge controversy in British society. However, the British police have officially accepted the case, which is considered to be the first time in the country's history that a crime in the virtual world has been investigated.

Some British public interviewed believed that the police should not waste police resources arbitrarily when all rape cases cannot be solved in reality. However, a police officer in charge of the case said, "Because the VR game experience is very immersive, her (victim) psychological trauma is exactly the same as that of a real rape victim."

Due to the need to protect minors, the police did not disclose any information about the victim. At present, they only know that she is a minor under the age of 16.

▲A female player is experiencing a virtual reality game (unrelated to this case)

The concept of the "Metaverse" came from the 1992 science fiction novel "Avalanche". Years later, with the maturity of hardware such as wearable vests and headsets, the Metaverse has also transformed from a science fiction concept into a reality.

In October 2021, Zuckerberg announced that Facebook would be renamed Meta, which brought the concept of the Metaverse to widespread public attention. Subsequently, Google, Microsoft and other technology giants also invested heavily in the technology.

Meta Corporation's Metaverse setting allows users to set up a "protective bubble" around their avatar so that others cannot approach them. However, a large number of virtual characters were attacked in the free game "Horizon World" launched by Meta Company. Some victims said that they were coerced into opening a "protective bubble" before being attacked.

At present, the laws of various countries are blank regarding crimes in the virtual world. In addition to rape, the most common crimes in virtual games include theft of precious virtual props.

Some legal experts believe that it is difficult to prosecute under the existing legal framework, including this case of the rape of a minor, and it is also difficult to apply real-world penalties for theft, robbery, rape and murder in the virtual world. For example, in the UK, the crime of sexual assault is defined as "physical contact without consent", but in this case there was no physical contact or conflict. In addition, the metaverse also blurs the concept of geographical space, and it is difficult to define which country has jurisdiction over the cases that occur.

A senior official responsible for the case called for faster legislation so that victims in the virtual world can also receive justice. He said, "The emotional and psychological damage to this child will be long-term and it is no easier to deal with than a real-life rape case. But because the current legislation does not set out legal rules for this, this brings many challenges to our law enforcement work."

Europol warned, “It is expected that by 2035, 25% of people will spend at least one hour a day in the virtual world, which will definitely have a significant impact on the global economic landscape. The safety of citizens in the virtual world will become a key issue for law enforcement agencies.”