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South Korean authorities declared South Korea-based MoneyS reported on Sept. 11 that a man was sentenced to four years in prison for collecting sexual content from underage victims he met on the Metaverse.
A 30-year-old man reportedly met a minor via a South Korean Metaverse platform and invited him to send him videos and images.
An unnamed man misrepresented his age and used an avatar of a youth to commit criminal acts. His activities spanned from December 2021 until he March 2022.
In addition to a four-year prison sentence, the man was also barred from working for organizations involving minors and persons with disabilities. He also has to attend 80 hours in a compulsory treatment program for sex offenders.
Because he did not distribute the content or profit from it, the sentence was primarily for targeting and sexually exploiting minors.
metaverse and sexual abuse
The Korean case illustrates another challenge facing the development of the Metaverse. Abuse concerns by sexual predators It has grown in the last few months.
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The Independent claimed a woman was virtually assaulted on Meta’s virtual reality platform Horizons World, which other participants ignored despite being able to see what was going on. reported.
She claimed this happened after she disabled personal demarcation.
Meta added this feature after psychotherapist and researcher Nina Jane Patel revealed she was effectively gang-raped by three to four male avatars at the Horizon venue.
Another user claimed that a stranger touched his avatar in the Worlds beta test, and there are several other instances of hypothetical sexual assault in the space.
Regulators waking up to threats
While companies are using features such as personal boundaries to try to prevent this abuse, South Korean legislators are already considering sanctioning sexual crimes in the metaverse.
Ministry of Science, Technology and Information Communication of Asian countries Established Principles for protecting minors in the metaverse.
The principles are authenticity, reciprocity, autonomy, fairness, respect for privacy, responsibility, inclusion and data protection. These principles are based on three values: intact identity, secure enjoyment, and sustainable prosperity.
