rape in cyberspace

Dibbell discusses virtual rape in the multi user dungeon and whether or not this sort of behavior should be considered a crime or not. It seem that today in online communities people/avatars are able to experiment and act our in extremes to potentially do things that they would not be able to do in there daily lives. It is easy to get away with crimes on line then it is in the real world because there is not the same sort of Judicial system in place, there is not the same sort of policing and laws that govern what is moral and not. So what if we created a judicial system online? It seems a little ridiculous, would there be cyber judges convicting cyber criminals? would this go on your permanent cyber record? I am not sure exactly how to address the ill behavior that goes on in these cyber communities. Dribbell points out that there should however be some kind of balance in these online communities because it is so easy for technology to be abused. In the Case of Mr. Bungle, it is obvious that he was acting in immoral ways and caused harm, but since the reality we have created, it is just as easy to deny that reality as real. Responding to a previous comment, when something goes wrong online it seems as if it doesn't matter because it is not real, but what if the people behind the computers live there life in this cyber reality and to them it is real until their harrasment or extreme activities are noticed and questioned. I think that if people are going to treat these sites as a alternate reality of life, than it seems only fair that we live as avatars with the same moral code, live with the same rules, and treat these sights as means of communication and connectivity rather than to practice behaviors you cannot do in real life.