Addressing sexual exploitation and abuse in the digital ecosystem.



The hype around the development of the metaverse, an immersive digital space that will take real-world experiences online and blur the line between physical and virtual, is palpable. Accounting organization KPMG predicts that by 2030, we might be spending more time in the metaverse than in the real world. In a survey conducted by Pew Research and Elon University in North Carolina, more than half of the technology experts responded that by 2040, they expect the metaverse to be a fully-immersive, well-functioning aspect of daily life for half a billion people (or more) around the world. 



But for many, the excitement around the world’s digital future is something that should be approached with caution. Women, in particular, have been known to experience gender-based violence in the form of online harassment. One study from the Economist Intelligence Unit uncovered that 85% of women have experienced or witnessed online violence, with 38% of women reporting personal experiences with online violence and 65% reporting knowing of other women who were targeted online.



If women are already su-fering a disproportionate amount of abuse online, will they be safe in the metaverse?



In 2022, the Alliance for Universal Digital Rights (AUDRi) was formed by two international gender equality and advocacy organizations, Equality Now and Women Leading in AI. For over 30 years, Equality Now has been campaigning for legal and systematic change to address violence and discrimination against women and girls around the world but what they soon came to realize is that the sexual exploitation and abuse they were working against stopping in the physical space could be manifested online.



“People are using the internet to replicate and amplify the same sort of violence; [what] we’re seeing in the physical space is being played out in the digital space. It’s growing at an alarming rate just because of the nature of the internet,” says Tsitsi Matekaire, Equality Now’s Global Lead of End Sexual Exploitation.



Born in Zimbabwe, Matekaire has worked with women’s rights organizations throughout Africa, providing legal aid services to women affected by domestic violence.



“Looking at the legal frameworks, we didn’t realize that if we focus our research so narrowly on sexual exploitation and abuse, we sort of miss the bigger picture because this is happening in the digital ecosystem.” Working with a network of women in technology, AUDRi is calling for an international standard that will address women and girl’s rights in the digital space grounded in international human rights law.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-than-a-game">More than a game</h2>



The studies around avatar gender-swapping in the online gaming space are eye-opening. To avoid toxic sexual behavior, female players choose a male avatar to avoid being harassed.



Wai Yen Tang, a researcher from the University of Amsterdam, found that in gaming culture, women are often harassed because they are perceived as an outside and intrusive minority.



“Women don’t participate to the extent that they should because they have serious concerns around safety. The result is self-censorship, where you don’t want to bring out your true identity,” says Maitekaire. “We are a diverse community but as a woman, you’re operating as a white male because that attracts less harassment. There are black women, cisgender women, trans women… all of that can get lost if people have that fear.” In addition, it’s all too easy for the abuse can easily jump from digital to physical – in April 2023, a man in California was arrested for sexually abusing a 14-year old girl he met playing a popular kids gaming app – which is exactly why organizations like AUDRi are so needed.



<div class="wp-block-media-text" style="grid-template-columns:42% auto"><figure class="wp-block-media-text__media"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Tsitsi-Matekaire-1024x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-60791 size-full" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Tsitsi-Matekaire-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Tsitsi-Matekaire-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Tsitsi-Matekaire-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Tsitsi-Matekaire-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Tsitsi-Matekaire-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Tsitsi-Matekaire-2048x2048.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure><div class="wp-block-media-text__content">
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
“WE ARE A DIVERSE COMMUNITY BUT AS A WOMAN, YOU’RE OPERATING AS A WHITE MALE BECAUSE THAT ATTRACTS LESS HARASSMENT.”
</blockquote>
</div></div>



“We really wanted to look at that digital dimension and assess the impact it would have on human rights and human vulnerability so we are advocating for policies at a global level,” says Matekaire. “Even on a national level, we have to show governments what they need to be thinking about to ensure rights are protected within that space.” 



For Matekaire, the urgency is now because as the technology is being developed, policy frameworks need to be created to keep up. “There’s a dilemma because things are moving quickly and policies can also be future-proofed to anticipate the risks,” she adds. “We need to ensure that in the design stage we are building in those principles of equality, of safety, of human rights, for people with disabilities and those in the LGBTQ community. We have to anticipate these different aspects before or as the technology is designed.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">An economic opportunity</h2>



Be it education or healthcare, throughout the continent, there has been interest on a governmental level in how the metaverse can be best utilized. Egypt, for example, launched MetaTut at the end of 2022.



MetaTut is a virtual city created to celebrate Egyptian culture and take the country’s heritage into the digital age. It’s not only a virtual tourist destination but a place where people can meet others and even conduct business.



“African governments are looking at the metaverse as an opportunity to advance their economies but have they anticipated the risks?” asks Matekaire.



Considering the potential impact of the metaverse, AUDRi is urging governments, regulators and big tech companies to consider the rights of those who remain marginalized online. They’re calling for guidelines to be established that measure the impact on the human rights of vulnerable groups as well as best practices when it comes to design. 



“And we need governments involved because ultimately governments are the ones that are responsible for people’s rights,” she adds. “As AUDRi, what we’re really talking about is a global approach – global policies and laws that countries can derive their national laws and policies from.

Avatars

Will Women Be Safe In The Metaverse?

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



McDonald’s is the latest to file trademark applications for virtual goods, services and even virtual restaurants and cafes, leaning into a growing trend of major corporations preparing for a potential wave of virtual reality marketplaces spearheaded by Meta, parent company of Facebook, and its envisioned virtual world, the metaverse.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



Josh Gerben, a trademark lawyer whose firm tracks new trademark filings on a daily basis, first made note of the requests on&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/JoshGerben/status/1491449758967562240?s=20&amp;t=ZDw6PsET58Dh4Ak0KRm_gg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Twitter</a>&nbsp;Wednesday, pointing out 10 applications filed by McDonald’s.



The McDonald’s&nbsp;<a href="https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&amp;state=4807:439nvi.2.2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">filings</a>, listed February 4, request to trademark, among other things, “Operating a virtual restaurant featuring actual and virtual goods,” and “operating a virtual restaurant online featuring home delivery.”



It also aims to&nbsp;<a href="https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&amp;state=4808:ej2v89.2.1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trademark</a>&nbsp;“on-line actual and virtual concerts” and other entertainment services within its virtual McCafe.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The requests follow Panera Bread’s February 3&nbsp;<a href="https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&amp;state=4808:4noh1d.9.1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">filing</a>&nbsp;for the “Paneraverse,” a request from the bakery company to trademark its downloadable, virtual food and beverage items “for use in virtual worlds,” along with NFTs and the option to purchase actual goods in the virtual world to be delivered.



McDonald’s and Panera Bread are the latest to prepare for a potential virtual establishment revolution, joining major corporations like <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/02/nike-is-quietly-preparing-for-the-metaverse-.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nike</a>, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/16/walmart-is-quietly-preparing-to-enter-the-metaverse.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Walmart</a> and <a href="https://boardroom.tv/skechers-metaverse-trademarks/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sketchers</a>, who have all made similar filings in the past three months.



“When you see this critical mass of large companies making this many new trademark filings, it’s very clear this is coming,” Gerben told&nbsp;Forbes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



“I think you’re going to see every brand that you can think of make these filings within the next 12 months,” Gerben added. “I don’t think anyone wants to be the next Blockbuster and just completely ignore a new technology that’s coming.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="tangent">TANGENT</h2>



“Panera is always working to be at the forefront of tech advancement,” George Hanson, the company’s chief digital officer, said in a statement to&nbsp;Forbes. “As a brand we are consistently looking for new ways to better our guest experience, whether in our cafes or in the metaverse.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



These requests often take the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office eight to nine months to review, according to Gerben, though he says McDonalds should have no troubles getting the trademarks approved. While the Metaverse is not the only virtual world in which these trademarks can be used, Meta appears to be leaning more heavily into its vision of a virtual world (see its October <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisakim/2021/10/28/facebook-announces-new-name-meta/?sh=2465b42b7f83">name change</a>) than any other major technology company, and it is seeing results. According to Meta’s fourth quarter <a href="https://s21.q4cdn.com/399680738/files/doc_financials/2021/q4/FB-12.31.2021-Exhibit-99.1-Final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">earnings report,</a> the company pulled in more $800 million in revenue from “Reality Labs,” its division that includes its augmented and virtual reality-related consumer hardware like the Oculus, the company’s widely popular VR headset used to access the metaverse.



By Mason Bissada, Forbes Staff

Daily Life In Edmonton During The Covid-19 Pandemic

McDonald’s Files Trademark For Metaverse-Based ‘Virtual Restaurant’

Is the metaverse the future of the internet? It’s already here with Big Tech banking on it, and it just might unlock untold economic opportunities for Africa.



BY TIANA CLINE



&#8220;IT FEELS LIKE SCI-FI WHEN WE TALK ABOUT it. If you think about the internet that we look at, the metaverse is going to be an internet that we are inside of,” says Derya Matras, Facebook’s Vice President for Africa, the Middle East and Turkey. “Over the last few years, we’ve been observing social communication getting more and more immersive. I remember being in high school and dreaming of having a phone that I could take with me everywhere so I could talk to my best friend. Even being able to talk to my parents over video felt like sci-fi twenty years ago. It’s important that we observe where the technology is moving already.”



Matras explains that the metaverse will be made up of a set of digital experiences that seamlessly interconnect. A deeper and wider virtual reality (VR) that is far more than social media and video games. This is one of the reasons Facebook changed its company name to Meta at the end of October 2021.



<div class="wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile" style="grid-template-columns:35% auto"><figure class="wp-block-media-text__media"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="683" height="1024" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Derya-Matras-683x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53909 size-full" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Derya-Matras-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Derya-Matras-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Derya-Matras-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Derya-Matras-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Derya-Matras-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Derya-Matras-scaled.jpg 1707w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /></figure><div class="wp-block-media-text__content">
The metaverse is going to give a lot of opportunities to Africa but the connectivity has to be there.



– Derya Matras
</div></div>



“Facebook is primarily known as a social media company but we actually define ourselves as a tech company that has the mission of connecting people and businesses. As social technology evolves, we will also,” she says. “Obviously, the metaverse is not there yet and it’s going to take a good ten years to build it all together as an industry.”



Matras believes that the metaverse has the potential to unlock huge economic opportunities for Africa. As a company, Facebook has already made some significant investments into bringing more affordable broadband to the continent. They’re in the process of building 2Africa, the longest undersea cable in the world which will effectively connect three continents – Africa, Europe and Asia (with plans of going live in 2023).



“The metaverse is going to give a lot of opportunities to Africa but the connectivity has to be there. And it is the responsibility of tech players like Facebook and telecom operators and governments to build that collectively,” says Matras. While Facebook, as a social media platform, isn’t going anywhere, what excites Matras the most about the metaverse is its educational implications.



Immersive learning through the use of VR is a field that Louise Claassen, an executive fellow at Henley Business School Africa, is already working on. (And outside of the business school, she also spends a lot of time in AltspaceVR, a social VR platform acquired by Microsoft in 2017.)



“For decades, people have been immersed into the virtual reality space but as individuals. What is happening now is increasingly, we’re seeing multi-user VR environments,” she explains. 



While independent VR social spaces have been in existence for a number of years – many of which already have vibrant, thriving communities – people are now looking into these environments as business tools and in the med-tech space. Research out of the University of Maryland, for example, showed that VR not only increases memory retention, but when used as a learning tool could potentially treat memory-related disorders like Alzheimer’s.



 “One of the qualities we have in virtual reality is embodiment, that sense of being present in a different environment. Your body is responding to where your mind believes that you are. There are all sorts of very interesting opportunities that this convergence into the metaverse present,” says Claassen. 



At Henley, Claassen works with VR by creating rich immersive experiences for her students and in particular, global case studies that transport them to different places to understand different economies: “From a business school perspective, we believe that it’s important for leaders to have well-developed cultural intelligence and they can only do that if they travel. While physically visiting and being immersed in different contexts still has tremendous merit, what virtual reality does is it democratizes that process so more students can go to more locations more frequently.”



What the metaverse can bring to education (and many other sectors) is that immersive experience at the click of a button. A digital twin where data is not only visualized, but augmented.



“When we can see each other move in a three-dimensional space, we decode that information in a very different way and that’s very powerful,” says Claassen, “it give us a much more dynamic experience of the world which is pretty much what the metaverse offers, on scale.”

Tag: Metaverse

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

Will Women Be Safe In The Metaverse?

McDonald’s Files Trademark For Metaverse-Based ‘Virtual Restaurant’

Can The Metaverse Provide Opportunities For Africa That Are Out Of This World?