In December, 43-year-old doctoral researcher Nina Jane Patel put on a headset and entered Meta’s virtual world to see what was happening that day. “Within seconds of being there, there were three avatars near me,” she says. “Suddenly they were taking selfies?.?.?.?I couldn’t see at first that they were groping the avatar’s upper body?.?.?.?They were yelling at me, ‘Don’t pretend you don’t like it, this is what you came for.’”
The incident took place in the metaverse — an immersive virtual world accessed via wearable technology — in which tech groups expect us to spend a far greater proportion of time in the future, both playing and, crucially, working.
When it comes to employment laws, however, it is unclear what rules of engagement apply in a universal digital realm. What counts as harassment in the metaverse? Can an avatar be discriminated against, or worse? Will national legislation protect employees or does working in the metaverse require a new rule book altogether?