| Region | Potential AR Taboo | Neutral/Tolerant View | |--------|--------------------|------------------------| | Japan | AR ghosts in hospitals (Shinto beliefs about spirit pollution) | AR tourist ghosts at historical sites | | Saudi Arabia | AR revealing a woman’s face without her consent | AR used for family genealogy overlays | | Indigenous Australia | AR showing secret/sacred dreamings in public lands | AR educational tools approved by elders | | Western Europe | AR that ranks people by social class or income | AR fashion filters for entertainment |
Do not augment others in ways you would not accept being augmented yourself, without their explicit, informed, and revocable consent. ar taboo
| Legal Domain | Covers AR Taboo Examples | |--------------|--------------------------| | Harassment laws | AR stalking, persistent unwanted overlays | | Privacy (GDPR, CCPA) | AR that collects or displays personal data without consent | | Right of publicity | AR using someone’s likeness without permission | | Trespass (digital) | Anchoring virtual objects on private property (test cases pending) | | Emotional distress | Grief exploitation AR (rarely successful but emerging) | | Region | Potential AR Taboo | Neutral/Tolerant
| Factor | VR | AR | |--------|----|----| | | Low (often solo) | High (interacting with real bystanders) | | Consent boundary | Clear (entering a game) | Fuzzy (camera always on) | | Persistence | Session-based | Can be anchored to real locations for years | | Harm type | Psychological mostly | Psychological + social + reputational | Examples: | Source | Explanation | Example |
Thus, an action that is merely rude in VR (e.g., teabagging a corpse) becomes taboo in AR if done over a real person’s grave. What is taboo in one culture may be acceptable in another. Examples:
| Source | Explanation | Example | |--------|-------------|---------| | | AR can capture/display real-world data intrusively | Pointing an AR camera at a stranger and instantly showing their name, salary, or medical info | | Grief & death rituals | Interacting with the dead via AR violates sacred mourning practices | Forcing an AR avatar of a deceased child onto a grieving parent | | Consent & autonomy | Altering someone’s perceived reality without their permission | AR graffiti on a person’s face during a live conversation | | Social hierarchy | AR that disrespects authority or tradition | Overlaying mocking captions on a religious leader during a ceremony |