A Rape in Cyberspace

In 1993, Julian Dibbell published “A Rape in Cyberspace” in The Village Voice, highlighting the virtual sexual violence  of a certain avatar, Mr.

Bungle, towards the other users of the multi-user dimensions (MUD) LambdaMOO. Mr. Bungle used a voodoo doll subprogram to control other users and force them to perform unwanted sexual activities. Dibbell debates the ethical issues at hand, such as whether or not cyberrape is as abominable as its real-life counterpart.

In this case, the actions of Mr. Bungle were almost universally accepted as morally apprehensible. In fact, some players suffered psychological trauma from the incident.

Certainly Mr. Bungle’s anonymity aided the case. In fact, some would argue, if Mr. Bungle’s true identity were not concealed behind his avatar, he would not have acted the way nor with the frequency he did. Although anonymity enabled Mr. Bungle to act inappropriately, anonymity did not force or even motivate him to act in this way. He acted that way by his own accord. Some might point the finger at anonymity, blaming it for all cybercrimes. Yet anonymity has no role is promoting promiscuity and unethical behavior. It only allows people to engage in such activities with limited risk of being caught.