Amid harassment cases, Microsoft tightens security of VR rooms

There’s a veritable gold rush to the so-called metaverse right now, but it’s very possible it’s in more of a hurry than gold. It is also clear that there are numerous problems in this virtual space, as Microsoft also discovered. Metaverse, cyberspace, and whatever they’re called: Decades ago, cyberpunk authors dreamed of a large virtual space in which we spend large parts of our lives.

The topic recently came into an even more prominent light as Facebook rebranded itself as a company in Meta. Of course, such virtual spaces are not new and also suffer from very everyday problems, especially people who cannot behave. This is also why Microsoft has to pull the emergency brake and make adjustments to its AltspaceVR network. Because the company from Redmond has announced that major changes will take place in its AltspaceVR.

Safer Workplace

Microsoft will remove all previously publicly accessible social hubs (Campfire, News and Entertainment Commons) from the platform. In the future, users will need to sign in with their Microsoft account and the Safety Bubble feature will be enabled automatically. Finally, new participants are automatically muted when entering an event. The Redmond company said this should improve security and moderation in AltspaceVR.

Its primary purpose is to address and combat harassment. “As platforms like AltspaceVR continue to evolve, it’s important that we look at existing experiences and evaluate whether they meet customer needs today and in the future,” said Alex Kipman, head of Microsoft’s mixed reality division (via TechCrunch Kipman continued, “This includes ensuring that people are better connected with those with common interests and securing the spaces they access from inappropriate behavior and harassment.”