Metaverse is online virtual world and is an amalgm of VR, AR and 3D holographic avatars. It is an alternative world where people can work, play, attend events and do socialising in their virtual avatars.

Facebook added a personal boundary feature on its metaverse platform in February, 2022. A user who activates this prevents others to come closer than two feet from him. On a breach, the system alerts you, and halts their movement. Toxmod is an AI-assisted software that analyses the language and words used. If they are found offensive, the moderator in a chat room is alerted and the speech is muted. Facebook’s Meta platform too has issues of content being offensive. A metaverse which is safe for predators becomes unsafe for users.

In metaverse, there should be adequate mechanism to report violations of decency. There are instances of groping and harassment. There are assaults on women avatars. There are simulations of private intimate acts. Such incidents are not isolated, but are widespread.

If an avatar is touched in metaverse, the hand controllers vibrate. It is disturbing. Though not real, it is pretty unnerving. Some do feel that they are being abused in reality.

There is no regulation of the metaverse at present. Metaverse will take sometime to mature. Even internet evolved over a period of time. There should be some cybersecurity set-ups and cyber crime laws.