Police are investigating a virtual sexual assault of a girl’s avatar, the chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners has said.
Donna Jones said she had learned that a complaint was made in 2023, triggering a police inquiry.
The virtual incident did not result in physical harm but caused “psychological trauma”, the Daily Mail has reported a source as saying. Police chiefs have called on platforms to do more to protect their users.
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The impact of the attack on the girl’s avatar was said to be heightened because of the immersive nature of the VR experience.
It sounds ridiculous that they assaulted an avatar. I think it is the wrong take. The avatar is just the medium. The target was obviously the person behind the avatar. It’s like saying that threats over text message is assaulting her phone.
Ssssh it’s okay iphone. Don’t listen to them. I know you were just protecting me from the bullies in high school
I didn’t know how to feel about the headline when I read it, is it possible to do that? I still don’t know. It’s not really for me to decide how SHE feels either. It just sounds… Weird? And not possible? I don’t know.
Regardless, in my mind, it depends on what the action was. If I send a text to your phone to hack it, then I guess I’m “assaulting your phone” but if the phone is the medium used to get to you then obviously it’s towards you.
And this can all be made moot by the software devs with an input box “keep non-friends N meters away”. Its all tech and virtual. Whatever she has a problem with can be an option to toggle for her.
It can’t be sexual assault.
[Edit: Sexual] Assault is physical contact.
No, that’s battery.
You’re thinking of battery
Downvoted for being right. Reddit 2.0
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/42/part/1/crossheading/assault
https://www.findlaw.com/state/new-york-law/new-york-sexual-assault-laws.html
https://www.shouselaw.com/ca/defense/penal-code/243-4/
You can look at other jurisdictions, but physical contact is core to the definition.
nope
https://vindicatelaw.com/assault-vs-battery-are-they-the-same-or-different-crimes/
https://www.findlaw.com/criminal/criminal-charges/assault-and-battery-overview.html
https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/assault_and_battery
I gave you the relevant jurisdiction and two major US ones. In all three cases, it cannot be sexual assault without actual sexual contact with the victim.
Regular assault isn’t relevant here.
And one of them says.
The one that also tells you California uses the terms interchangeably?
Yep.
But that still doesn’t change the way the legal systems views the terms assault and battery