Facebook To Bring in Mandatory Distances Between Virtual Reality Avatars

Mark Zuckerberg’s virtual reality business is to introduce a mandatory distance between people’s digital avatars after warnings that the social media tycoon’s plans for a metaverse will lead to a new wave of online harassment.

Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, is making a multibillion-dollar bet on VR as the next source of growth for his empire but his strategy has already been dogged by warnings that virtual worlds are rife with abuse. In December a user testing Horizon Worlds, a VR app owned by Zuckerberg’s Meta business, complained of being groped online and called for a protective bubble around their avatar, or digital representation of themselves. “Sexual harassment is no joke on the regular internet but being in VR adds another layer that makes the event more intense,” said the user.