Hello, this is Ann, Ayaka and Joey. Our presentation topic is “Online Communities”. We used some cases in the reading “A Rape in Cyberspace; or How an Evil Clown, a Haitian Trickster Spirit, Two Wizards, and a Cast of Dozens Turned a Database into a society” to discuss (1) how we should define “rape” in virtual world as well as (2) who are the one to judge what is right and what is wrong in the cyberspace.
Cases we used were about “rape” and “annoying acts” happened in the virtual reality, LambdaMOO. A player Mr. Bungle in this virtual reality typed some words that made other players feel like they were “raped” by him. For example, Mr. Bungle asked one of the players to eat his/her own pubic hair or to violate his/herself with a piece of kitchen cutlery. We wanted to think about should we call this act “rape” and therefore we tried to use some laws that related to rape and sexual harassment for reference to compare the differences between. In our world, according to the law, rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. Since in the cyber world, it is impossible for the online players have the real physical touch with each other, not to say the sexual intercourse, therefore we don’t see there is a “rape” between them. Moreover, according to the law, sexual harassment, includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and annoyances to actual sexual abuse or sexual assault. Therefore we might be more suitable for us to treat that “rape” in cyber world as “sexual harassment”.
What our group assumed the players have their own choice, that is, they join this virtual reality due to their own will but not forced by the others. Firstly, if they did not join virtual community, there is no way for other players to “rape” him/her. Secondly, if he/ she feels uncomfortable after reading some wordings, he/she can choose to read it or not, they could just close the window or log out.
And for our stance on this topic, first, we need to define what is cyborg, cyborg is a hybrid of mechanism and organism which means when human use an virtual identity to log in the virtual world to have any activities, then he or she will become a cyborg. We think that cyborg can not rape a cyborg coz there are no physical touch involve, it could only be regarded as “sexual harassment”. If need to redefine “rape” in order to define the sexual crime of cyborg.
When it comes to the regulation of cyber space sexual crime, first, we assume that cyborg cannot rape another cyborg nor virtual identity rape virtual identity use cyber space as a tool. Beside, we assume cyborg has emotion which comes from the organism part, with in this process, part of the real world identity convert into virtual identity. In the real world, if you are sexually harassed or rape by somebody else, you can call the police and the law can protect you and regulate the criminal. However, in virtual community, there are no police or law that could regulate these things, the on who control the regulation of a cyber space is a webmaster. Webmaster as the role to judge what is right and what is wrong but that is not fair as every single webmasters has different stances on different aspect. In the reading, Mr. Bungle was not allowed to log in LambdaMOO after the “rape”, later on, Dr. Jess appeared, is there are possibility that Dr. Jess is Mr. Bungle?If yes, the webmaster did not able to solve the problem. The webmaster can punish or banish a user, but it has a very limited function, because one can change it IP address, ID information in order to establish a new account in certain community.
To conclude, If we could not redefine what is “rape” in the cyber world, rape between cyborg is not applicable, those action can only be regards as sexual harassment. The punishment could only applied impractically to the cyborg as there are no concrete punishment.
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ReplyDeleteSorry that I have made some amendment already.
ReplyDeleteI think this topic is quite interesting. Thanks you girls provide a nice presentation today.
Firstly, in respond to your first question that how we should define “rape” in virtual world, it is certainly hard to have a clear definition in my opinion. As using the law in Hong Kong, rape should be involved unwilling sexual intercourse. However, how can people rape the other by the computer or by the internet? Thus, I think it cannot have a concept of “rape” in the virtual world. Yet, we can say that it is a kind of sex harassment. For example, the case of Mr. Bungle happened in LambdaMOO. This case did not involve any physical contact but the victim felt annoying and this leads to the violation. Thus, it can be said to a case of sexual harassment.
Secondly, the one who judge what is right and what is wrong in the cyberspace should be the authority. Maybe you will ask how the law in a reality world can be applied in the virtual world. Certainly, it is questionable. However I think that it can be work. When the authority set up the law, the internet access did not so popular that time. It cannot predict the life afterwards and our future. The Law is used to protect the right and security of the public. Why the government cannot set up a new regulation to protect the computer user? I understand that if people did not join virtual community, there is no way for other players to “rape” him/her. The case seems to be that, if I don’t walk on the street, there is no way for other to hit me on the street, right? Then the Law protects us on the street but not in the internet, why?
In fact, people can have various identities on the internet. If these identities belongs to the same person and he/ she has done something wrong. If there is regulations, he/she can be punished.
It is so hard for us to handle the issues which occur in cyberspace, especially for this week main topic, rape in virtual reality.
ReplyDeleteI love how you guys to present the definition of rap by using the local law, because as we all know that one of the biggest challenge for us to define the cyber rape is not involving sexual intercourse in cyber rape, those who "rape" people in cyberspace are just simply using the words to describe what they want to do, therefore, it is make no sense if we define they have commit "rape" in this case.
However, does it means that we can not do anything about that? In my opinion, everything has its merits and back-draws, there is no doubt that Internet could provide a good opportunity for us to express ourselves freely, however, some people would use it as a mean to achieve his or her own interests which is selfish and unacceptable. After the discussion that we have made on this Thursday, creating a more accurate sign-in system could be one of a method for avoiding people to use countless identities to harm the others.
Lastly, i hope most of us could be self-regulated, think twice before they act, try to consider the feelings of others and respect yourself as well.
By the way, good job girls!!! :)
Thank you for Ann, Ayaka and Joey to give us an interesting topic about online community.
ReplyDeleteTo define what ‘rape’ in virtual world is a very interesting issue. Actually, like what Carmen said, it is very difficult to give a very clear definition in nowadays. As you all mentioned before, 'rape' in reality is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. However, can we really do this in virtual world? I think it cannot. Therefore, to do the 'rape' action in the internet in my mind is just a kind of sexual harassment. Since this is only including language or words between one people to another, but there isn't any physical action inside. By the way, after listened to yours presentation, it brings out a view in my mind. 'Will the technology develop to a level that we can really go inside the virtual world, and if we 'rape' in that world, will it count as 'rape'. I have this concept because I think that we can freely come in and go out between the reality and virtual world in the coming days.
thanks for your presentation.
ReplyDeletei think online rape cases have been changed nowadays.there is a big difference between the cases in the readings and recent cases. the internet crimes have became more seriour than before.Therefore, law and regulation are important for the internet crime.
not only rape signal that can be post, but also threat message on the internet. these can sometimes make people confuse that is it real or not? will it really happen in reality. admittedly, there are online crime happened from internet to reality. for example, like online dating, people meet eachother onine, but they hang out finally. therefore, crime can be happen to the victim directly.
however, the law and regulation for internet crime are not strict enough. i think the government should implement policy to control the increasing rate of internet crimes.