Even in a virtual space like Zuckerberg's, harassment can occur, and is protected by a bubble that keeps other users away from your avatar.
The Personal Boundary System solution was introduced in February by Meta on its two main metaverse platforms, Horizon Worlds and Horizon Venues. In practice, this means a bubble that allows users to get no closer than 1.2 metres from each other, meaning avatars who cross the boundary simply disappear. The Personal Boundary System appears by default, but users can turn it on and off at any time.
In response to user feedback, the company has updated the feature to personalise who can get close to your avatar and who can't - from from Engadget. From now on, the option to allow friends to get closer contact will become the default, but those who are not on your friends list will still not be able to get closer to your avatar. In addition, the option to keep all users at a distance will remain available, but if you prefer, you can turn off the keep-away feature completely.
A few months ago, the world press picked up that a 43-year-old mother of a London family had committed a "gang rape" on her avatar by 3-4 male avatars just seconds after she joined the Zuckerberg metaverse. This is not the only such case: last December, a group of The Verge wrote., that a beta tester's avatar was sexually assaulted by an alien avatar who started touching his female avatar.
