I've read accounts of people experiencing real, lasting distress from harassment in virtual spaces that felt every bit as violating as something that happened in physical reality -- if the harm feels real, the protection should be real too.
Legal scholars studying virtual-world regulation note the 'public space' framing itself is legally contested, since most metaverse platforms are privately owned corporate property, similar to a shopping mall, where existing platform terms-of-service and consumer protection law may already apply more directly than an entirely new public-space regulatory framework.
Should AI companies be required to open-source their large language models?
Should the U.S. require a national ID to vote?
