Recent Comments:
Linden Lab's big content takedown
Massively
Jun 17th 2008 8:45AM I was under the impression LL had no mechanism to do this grid wide, they have said that before. Either they have just added the capability, or they lied. It is difficult for some, but the rampant content theft and lackadaisical attitude of most SLers needs to change. This move will help.
To address some points raised, US users do not make up 45% of users, it was 33% according to the last Key Metrics. Up from about 25% a year ago as Europeans have left for various reasons (lack of language support, difficulty in buying Lindens, VAT and others).
Non-US citizens are not subject to US laws if they are not in the US. If they take legal action against LL in California, yes, they will have to go through the US legal system and it's laws, but they don't have to. LL has an office in Brighton, UK, and that and it's banking assets which are in the UK, are therefore accessible and subject to UK and EU laws. It's assets and people's location that count in jurisdiction of courts.
PayPal Europe is rubbish, and Europhobic. Might be the case in the UK, but virtually impossible in any other EU country. They accept, for instance, just one debit card from the 27 EU countries, the UK's Switch, and no other. Of course they used to be in the UK, until they moved to Luxembourg, but that move hasn't changed things.
As for commercial laws applying, that will only be the case if you are registered and counted as a commercial business. Most SL merchants will be counted as a private sale, and buyers will not have the protections. That's like if you buy a second hand car that turns out to be stolen. Sure you bought in good faith, but it will be returned to the owner, and you are left with claiming from insurance, or the person that sold it to you. You can't use RL legal protections if you don't conform to the RL legal rules.
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat
Second Life Insider
Jun 24th 2007 9:00PM Actually, this makes perfect sense, and not just from a greedy government's perspective.
@ Nightbird. No, that cashing out income is already covered by tax laws, they are talking taxing incomes and capital gains that never leave virtual worlds. Australia and the UK have looked at this too:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/05/22/nsecond122.xml
See towards the bottom, of the view that this will have to be tackled soon. Now, it's not only a question of tax, but of money laundering and control. They wouldn't like to see virtual world assets swapped between worlds and lost in the wilds - that would be a paradise for any criminal activity.
Secondly, they tend to take the money and then give you the services. So what services could we expect to see? Well, if we saw some form of legal controls, verifiable global identity, and ability to track people, and possible law enforcement, that would go a long way to increasing legitimacy and stamping out all the scammers who think RL laws can't touch them. That would give greater confidence in metaverses.
It'll certainly sort out once and for all whether Lindens have value or are just valueless software licenses.
Basically, as long as there is no accountability, and metaverses are a scammer's and rip off artists' paradise, they will never become the Next Internet. So this may be a good move after all, but like everything, we have to pay for it somehow.
Of course, if they just want to tax and do nothing, that's a different kettle of Lindens...
Just Askin': Do you approve of the planned age-verification?
Second Life Insider
May 5th 2007 2:50PM Well this will be disastrous.
Not only will a lot of people refuse to pay, they will refuse to give out such important data, as this company will be the target of identity theft fraudsters.
Many people in the UK will be completely messed up as if they don't have a passport and don't drive, there is no national ID card.
And lastly, it's difficult enough for non-credit card holders to use their debit cards, but they are not locked out of that many places. Odds are very likely that this 3rd Party company will be US based and only accept US credit cards for payment (last metrics show only 26% of users are in the US), making it impossible for many to get verified.
However this time, you will be banned from places, both on the mainland and on private esates. And if I've read it correctly, you will not be able to enter anywhere on a private sim if there is any adult content whatsoever. This will be maybe 2/3rds of Second Life out of bounds to as many as half the residents....
So for people like me who have no Visa, but a French debit card neither Linden, PayPal or this 3rd party company will accept, I will have to give up my job in an adult club because I won't be able to get in it, and that salary helps support my shops. Without it, I'm gonna have to close my business. Or just shut the shops and sell through slx and slb. If I can still afford a permanent space for the servers, or just give up SL.
And there are going to be tens of thouands that will not give out their ID details. The world is about to change big time.
Belgian police patrols Second Life to prevent rape
Second Life Insider
Apr 25th 2007 11:38AM Well, no means no at any time. There are no details, but it could have been a noob who didn't know what the pose balls were.
Clearly, the case has been reported, and they are investigating whether a crime has in fact been committed, which is their duty. At least someone is taking possible crime in SL seriously even if Linden doesn't. Clearly too, there is enough info supplied to warrant an investigation.
As for the computer crime units, I would expect them to be patrolling anyway, but they won't be going around with tags on their heads. The first you'll know of it is when they bring a prosecution.
And with frauds, scams, ponzi schemes, illegal banks, threats and the like, I expect they'll have a field day lol.
Learning the lessons of working in SL
Second Life Insider
Apr 25th 2007 11:22AM An example of a terrific museum is Virtual Starry Night (haven't got the link, SL down for update).
This a very well designed and well built gallery of Vincent Van Gogh's artwork, complete with text info on the works, and his life. It wouldn't look out of place in the RL.
Divided into themes, colour tagged and with walk guides, of People and Portaits, Still Lives and Landscapes, it shows around 170 works in a thoughtful and educational way, and puts together something that would not be possible in the real world with the value attached to those artworks.
Good shepherd or invasion of privacy?
Second Life Insider
Apr 11th 2007 8:25PM "I personally believe this is a great tool and I'm not sure why some call it an invasion of privacy as it's simply showing items that are already available to the public in world"
Because it is Yo Brewster. For instance, for various reasons, I don't tell people or give out where I live. This search tool does, and has listed only those items in my house, not a public place, and not the identical art or other items that I do have in my shops, which are public places.
I only know about this because a friend told me, otherwise I would not have known my private address was available to all and sundry. This can easily lead to harasment, and probably explains why my security orb has been kicking people.
This is ill thought out, without consent, disclosure against ToS and needs to be shut down right now.
Good shepherd or invasion of privacy?
Second Life Insider
Apr 11th 2007 8:04PM This is absolutely appalling. Aside from the no consent, and possible violation of ToS for disclosure, it lists only items in my house, not the identical items, like my art, for sale in my shops, making it a double invasion of privacy and useless for business.
I've added Grid Shepherd to my ban list, will email my comments, I've IM'd and Abuse Reported him.
I'll be wary of any of their other products in the future too.
Digital native or immigrant? Just askin'
Second Life Insider
Apr 6th 2007 12:15PM Hi Eloise, wow meeting outside the Mac group lol. Now there's pigeon holing for you, and I ain't into that much, putting people in boxes.
"In this count we often look at VKA characteristics. I score incredibly low for A and often struggle to teach A-style learners because the metaphors I use and those they use don't connect easily."
I have absolutely no idea what VKA characteristics are. Then again I'm English, but live in France. I could look it up on the wiki I guess, or my printed dictionary - might not be in that as it's a few years old, but probably in the new edition. Which is best? Depends what you have faith in.
So much in electronic media is not checked so impossible to determine it's accuracy. Sadly other media are following that trend of not checking sources and facts properly, because they are often relying on inaccurate new media...
I work in publishing, page layout, so I know about the impact of graphics, but also the 'colour' of text, and I don't mean its RGB or CYMK values lol. But there's more to it than pure attraction to the eye, there's good navigation and organisation. It's about getting the information you want across. So you use what's best.
And that will to a large extent be determined by the age you're targeting. If you wanna hit business people, you use traditional text, conservative colours, serif fonts. Wanna hit younger? Sans serif, loud colours, big impact graphics.
Tomorrow's fad may well be different.
Linden Lab changes rules on Casino Advertising
Second Life Insider
Apr 6th 2007 11:50AM Well Markus, being preemptive is pretty sensible if you ask me rather than wait until you find yourself facing fines or jail for breaking the law lol.
There have been all sorts of misguided posts on the blog about this one. It's not a question of it being legal somewhere. Linden, as a US company, is liable to the laws of the US. Those state you will not indulge in INTERNET gambling. Period. If they allow US citizens to indulge, they are breaking the law. Even if they move the servers offshore, their system will still allow US citizens in the USofA to break US laws. If ya wanna gamble in Idaho, go there, you can't do it on the internet.
AllieKat has hit the nail on the head, it's having the Lindex, and allowing cashouts which makes all the difference, and incidentally makes it illegal since Linden are therefore running a currency exchange not registered with and regulated by the SEC into the bargain.
In a casino, you gamble with chips right? Not much difference to gambling with matchsticks, Lindens, or 'software licenses' is it? Since you can cash them back to real $ or euros.
So the Lindex stops it being a game, and opens up all the rl laws, tax, property, employment, contract etc etc. Fraud, scams and criminal activity too. Big can of worms, and Linden sitting with their heads in the sand won't make that go away.
Even with legal rl casinos, they are registered and regulated so they are fair - consumer protection. And as we know, Linden doesn't like regulation. Employees can choose which tasks to do. They don't want to regulate in world, stop the frauds and scams. But since real money is at stake, they are gonna have to or get sued to death. They have to stop thinking hippy commune and get real. The lawyers they have must be as bargain basement as their programmers and network guys lol.
Sad, but it's gonna change rapidly or die even more rapidly.
Reminds me of The Clash song - "I fought the law and the law won."
Gambling Under Scrutiny
Second Life Insider
Apr 5th 2007 1:38PM Well, a couple of problems here. First is Reuters not being accurate - it's online gambling that's illegal in the US, as inded it is in many other countries eg Sweden.
However, the way the US applies it's laws, having servers abroad won't be of any help at all, the US company with assets on US soil will still be responsible and prosecuted. Note the arrests in the US of people with the entire operation abroad, dubious international legailty, but hey, the US does that.
Secondly,if that is decided, then that will effectively mean that L$ are considered real money, and that has huge ramifications.
Firstly it means Linden is operating a currency exchange, Lindex, illegally and without being registered and regulated by the SEC. Probably breaking banking laws too.
Even PayPal and eBay who just swap money being brokers have had to register, and they don't do the currency fluctuation bit that LL does.
That will mean that anyone operatig casinos, "banks" and exchanges will also have to register in rl.
And if it's real money, then employment laws, and contract laws will apply. And the IRS will get on board too. And the FBI might get interested in the fraud and scams going on.
Certainly, Linden could not set up an office in the EU with the way it currently operates.
Only way to avoid this will be for Linden to keep it as a game, and stop people cashing out, otherwise they are going to have to set up regulation themselves pretty quick.
