Consent and Deception
摘要
This chapter will first set out the current law. It will then consider the distinct social context of the metaverse, in particular, the roles played by community guidelines and “netiquette”. It will then turn to the definitional difficulties surrounding consent, especially within specific social contexts online. Following this, it will address issues relating to impersonation and conditions placed on consent in an online context. For example, is there a level of deception to be expected in online sexual interactions? If we accept that there can be criminal liability for sexual activity in the metaverse, then how does the case law on deception interact? What about ‘gender fraud’ cases, where an individual has an avatar representing their gender identity rather than physical representation? It will address the implications of current academic views on deception and the potential for a reintroduction of a procurement offence, as suggested in the previous chapter.