Warning: This article covers sexual assualt.
A woman researching the virtual world Horizon Worlds by Metaverse was "virtually raped" by a stranger while another watched on and passed around a bottle of vodka.
SumOfUs, a non-profit group that campaigns to curb the growing power of corporations, sent a 21-year old researcher into the virtual world earlier this month, the Daily Mail reports.
But within an hour of entering the virtual world, the woman's avatar was sexually assaulted during a "disorientating and confusing experience".
The 21-year-old, who hasn't been named, told the Mail she believed the research was important.
"It happened so fast I kind of disassociated. One part of my brain was like 'WTF [what the f**k] is happening', the other part was like this isn't a real body, and another part was like, 'this is important research'."
A Meta spokesperson told the Mail that the woman did not have the 'Personal Boundary' feature on - a tool that's used to prevent non-friends from coming within one meter.
"In Horizon Worlds, Personal Boundary is default on at almost 4ft (1m) for non-friends to make it easier to avoid unwanted interactions," they said.
"We don't recommend turning off the safety feature with people you do not know."
Horizon Wolrd was released by Meta in December. It allows users to gather with others, play games and build their own virtual worlds.
If you have witnessed or experienced sexual harassment or assault and would like to speak to someone, you could call the HELP support service.
Auckland: (09) 623 1700 or visit helpauckland.org.nz
Wellington: (04) 801 6655 or visit wellingtonhelp.org.nz
