#Metoo in the Virtual World - Follow Up

#METOO

A few weeks back SurfWatch put out a request to hear from women and men about their experience and perception of sexual harassment and assault in the virtual world.  This is not a scientific study but a way to create a dialog and have a discussion.  Our questions were:

What is the difference between sexual harassment, annoyance or assault in the virtual world as opposed to the real world?  When does it cross the line in a virtual world?  In RL (real life), a person in a position of authority or power trying to force a sexual act on another would clearly be sexual harassment.  But in a virtual world, does anyone hold a real position of authority or power over another, enough to constitute sexual harassment, the same as in RL?  In a virtual world, why wouldn't you TP (teleport) away, block or mute that person?  Does claiming sexual harassment or assault in SL belittle the ones in RL that have experienced it?

Is anyone in a virtual world really in a position to intimidate or use retribution against someone as an element of sexual harassment?  Could this "behavior actually negatively impact someone's desires to be a significant contributor for the community by turning people against them, or impact someone's efforts to financially support something they're doing with a sim or business" as Kantbe Thursday so eloquently put it?  For example, SL (Second Life) does have some RL ramifications for some people in terms of business, sporting events, followings, etc.

It's difficult to get people to open up about this topic.  Originally several people hearing we were covering this topic contacted SurfWatch claiming to have been harassed and/or assaulted.  They later stated they did not want to discuss the details or be identified by giving too much information.  They were uncomfortable coming forward. They used a third party to pass anonymous information to us. Some of the reasons we were given:  not wanting to make a big deal about it, the offender apologized or claimed they were inebriated or incapacitated and unaware of what they were doing; not wanting to be identified and retaliated against; afraid to be made fun of.

The dictionary defines sexual harassment as:

"Harassment (typically of a woman) in a workplace, or other professional or social situation, involving the making of unwanted sexual advances or obscene remarks."

According to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission [for employment purposes]:

"It is unlawful to harass a person (an applicant or employee) because of that person's sex.  Harassment can include "sexual harassment" or unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.  Harassment does not have to be of a sexual nature, however, and can include offensive remarks about a person's sex.  For example, it is illegal to harass a woman by making offensive comments about women in general.

Both victim and the harasser can be either a woman or a man, and the victim and harasser can be the same sex.

Although the law doesn't prohibit simple teasing, offhand comments, or isolated incidents that are not very serious, harassment is illegal when it is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment or when it results in an adverse employment decision (as as the victim being fired or demoted).

The harasser can be the victim's supervisor, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, or someone who is not an employee of the employer, such as a client or customer."

One respondent to SurfWatch who requested anonymity shared her experience:

This is an embarrassing topic for me.  I came from another virtual world into Second Life 3 years ago on Labor Day.  I studied, watched videos, used the marketplace and planned my entry into this new virtual world.  On my Rezz day, I purchase a mesh body, AO, hair, 10 ouitfits, and even got my Linden home.  I struggled rezzing a box, learning my new mesh body and AO, but I still I eventually figured it out.

The first thing I wanted to do was “Ball Room Dance”.  I visited one of the Ball Room Dance looking for a partner.  Eventually, I guy asked me to dance.  Since I am an immersive player, even Ball Room Dancing in the virtual world is very sensual.  After a while, the man asked me to see his home.  I followed him since I was excited to see a real SL virtual home.  The whole pose ball thing was new to me and after 5 minutes, he was having sex with me on his coach.  I was so confused, not knowing how to stop, I simply logged out of Second Life

A few days later I got up my strength to return to Second Life.  I was determined to learn as much as I could about this new virtual technology before I go back out into the wilds of SL.  I attended the class on “Avatar Safety” at Oxbridge University.  I was so in awe of how Professor Kidd protected herself against potential griefers.

Anonymous

Per TheGuardian.com:

“If you highly identify with your avatar and are portraying yourself in an authentic manner, you’re going to feel violated,” said Jesse Fox, an Ohio State University professor who researches the social implications of virtual worlds. “It wouldn’t be different if someone sent you a harassing email to your work email or harassed you in a chat room.”

But Fox warns that virtual reality opens the door to a new level of violation.

“What’s different about virtual environments is an extra layer of immersion. If you are being groped in the real world versus a virtual world, the visual stimuli do not differ,” she said. “You are seeing it. It is appearing to happen to your own body. Those layers of lifelike experience are going to be more traumatizing in that moment.”(1)

SurfWatch had an opportunity recently to speak with Professor Lindal Kidd, Dean of Information, Caledon Oxbridge University.  She's considered an in-world expert on this topic and conducts a class on Saturdays at 10 AM SLT on Avatar Safety at Caledon Oxbridge University. 

  

SurfWatch (SW): Just briefly, I'm doing a piece on whether #metoo applies to virtual reality.  Several women here have told me they felt sexually harassed and some felt they were assaulted. But is that relevant when you can block and teleport and mute?

Lindal Kidd (LK): The thing is, when you're assaulted, especially when you are new, you might not remember those options.  One time, I was new, and standing on a pose stand in public, adjusting my jewelry.  Some ugly creature jumped on my back and started humping me, and whispering obscene comments.  I was...well, terrified.  Didn't know what to do.  Eventually I remembered to log off. but I shook for about half an hour afterwards.  These days, I can step back from being "immersed" and either laugh at such idiots, or go elsewhere.  Some griefers bother people long-term.  They are harder to deal with.  Ban one, and he creates an alt and comes back.  That's more mental harassment than sexual, but it can ruin your SL.

SW:  I have as an example of whether "sexual assault" can be said to exist in SL, a large group where there have been anonymous accusations by more than 1 person of assault by a person in a position of authority.  It was debated that it does not qualify as sexual harassment because there is no real authority in SL.  What are your thoughts?

LK:  The authority in SL is Linden Lab.  They will take action, but only if the Terms of Service, the Community Standards or other LL policies are violated.  They stay out of disputes between residents unless those policies are violated.  So any abuse reports should clearly demonstrate that.  Coming forward via an Abuse report is safe, though.  LL will not tell them who reported them.

SW:  There are also groups with authority - group organizations where the leadership has some authority.

LK:  Only within the group.  A group owner can kick you out of the group but that is about it.

SW:  Yes, but some of the members in these groups are afraid of that, of being kicked out of the group for coming forward.  So is that legitimate sexual harassment?

LK:  Can you give me an example of such a group?  I'd like to understand what it is that people would see as being so important to retain membership in a group where they are made to feel uncomfortable.

SW:  For example, let's say an organization that competes for scores and rankings. 

LK:  I see.

SW:  If there were a person in a position of authority making unwanted sexual advances that could impact their membership; maybe scores and rankings.

LK:  (nods).  Is there an alternative group they could join?

SW:  No.

LK:  Seems the alternatives are stay and put up with it, stay but AR the abuser, leave and give up that activity, or leave and form a competing group.

SW:  Yes.  So claims of sexual harassment in this case, even virtual, are valid?

LK:  (nods).

SW: So you think that there are legitimate cases of sexual harassment in virtuality?

LK: Yes, I do.  And also, virtual worlds can be used to help people with such problems in RL.  One of my friends used to run a center in SL to educate women about abuse and what to do about it.

SW: Thank you so much for clarifying this topic.  Much appreciated!

LK: My pleasure.

According to Revealnews.org, "When virtual reality feels real, so does the sexual harassment...One of the earliest instances of avatar defilement is detailed in Julian Dibbell’s 1993 Village Voice article “A Rape in Cyberspace.” Occurring in “LambdaMOO,” a virtual community founded in 1990, a user called Mr. Bungle used the voodoo doll [A voodoo doll program is simply one that allows one user to take control of another user’s character or program] he obtained to commit virtual rapes of female characters. A decade later, reports of avatar rapes began surfacing after Linden Lab’s virtual world “Second Life” launched in 2003."(2)

 "In 2007, the Belgian Federal Police announced that they would be investigating a ‘virtual rape’ incident that took place in Second Life back in 2003."(3)

smh.com states, "Sexual assault in virtual reality is real, and it needs to be taken seriously."(4)

One victim of virtual abuse who came forward on her Facebook page and talked about the incident she experienced in a virtual game suffered, "heaping imprecations, slander, and abuse against [the victim]."(5)

However, in a positive way, virtual worlds can be used to create empathy by giving the harasser the opportunity to experience what the victim is experiencing.  VR programs are being used to put the harasser in the position of victim.  "To be able to even remotely understand, tackle, and spread awareness of such an issue it is necessary to step into a victim’s shoes."(6)

It's a serious topic that will increasingly surface as technology delivers us into more worlds dealing with anonymous "others".  SurfWatch is interested in your experiences or opinions.  You can contact us by commenting here with your identifying information or you can contact Tauri Tigerpaw in-world.

You can find Professor Kidd Saturdays at 10 AM SLT teaching Avatar Safety at Caledon Oxbridge University:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Oxbridge/76/141/29. 

SurfWatch is always willing to explore this topic with others and will always provide a safe, confidential environment for others to express themselves on issues of harassment and abuse.

References:
1.  https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/oct/26/virtual-reality-sexual-harassment-online-groping-quivr
2.  https://www.revealnews.org/article/when-virtual-reality-feels-real-so-does-the-sexual-harassment/
3.  https://philpapers.org/archive/DANTLA.pdf
4.  https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/sexual-assault-and-harassment-in-virtual-reality-is-real-and-it-needs-to-be-taken-seriously-20161027-gsc6vb.html
5.http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2016/11/sexual_harassment_in_virtual_reality_is_real.html
6.  https://sociable.co/technology/how-virtual-reality-used-to-combat-sexual-assault/

For more information and insight, read:
http://www.juliandibbell.com/texts/bungle_vv.html (A Rape in Cyberspace)
https://spectrum.ieee.org/at-work/innovation/the-legal-hazards-of-virtual-reality-and-augmented-reality-apps
https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/10/30/499243803/even-in-a-virtual-world-the-harsh-reality-of-sexual-harassment-persists
Search for sexual harassment in a virtual environment

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