Second Life VS The Lively Real World.

Hello all!  I recently just learned about Second Life, the online virtual reality world.  I'm sure I would have never heard of it if it wasn't for the communication and technology class I'm currently in.  Last week in class Second Life was the main topic of discussion and it opened the flood gates of interest by all of us.  Technology is amazing and creates, in my opinion, a means of accessibility but complete vulnerability as well.  I remember not so long ago watching movies where the new wave of technology was touch screen devices that were completely portable, now who do you know that does not have some sort of hand held touch screen device in their pocket.  On the flipside of this easy access anytime, sure I feel completly comfortable on my laptop or cell phone with my online banking, bill pay, shopping, giving tons of personal information and do not even think twice, anyone could possibly hack into my life and steal my identity.  It can happen and its frightening.  So with that being said, I want to create a blog about Second Life its stance in real life problems, such as identity theft and other crimes.  Sure it sounds awesome, you can create your very own alter ego or maybe even go on vacation without leaving home, you can interact with anyone, you can even have a meeting with fellow coworkers on SL (Second Life).  Truth be told, unless your real life buddies are yours on SL, you really never know who you are talking to. Scary! I want to figure out if drama on SL poses a threat to the real world.  How do we handle crime on SL, and to what extent can your avatar commit a crime that would cost you a trip in the big house in real life.  People are so enthralled by SL that they even quit their job and are completely consumed and also found a way to make money.  Now, I'm so intrigued that I'm going to make my own Avatar!  Tune in next time to hear about my journey through virtual reality!

Digging deeper into Second Life

Her name is Gipsi, but she is disabled and her human does not know how to go about showing her the ways of virtual reality.... I am about to give up on Second Life, I think I need a coach to guide me through this virtual world... or maybe a credit card to invest in some Linden cash??  Anyway, I have been snooping around and for some interesting things that go on in this virtual world.  From identity theft, gangs, to sexual crimes, SL is starting to look more like New York City to me.  Its amazing that people even find a way to corrupt this virtual world, whats wrong with the picture here?!  I noticed an article from Bloombergs Businessweek, Businessweek/Darkside of SL, that discussed the issue SL users have with a program called "Copy Bot," users stealing others identities, and mafia taking over public spaces.  This article highlights some serious issues in SL.  First off we can start with the Copy Bot, this a a program that can copy any possession your avatar has. This goes for objects, characters and even virtual property.  According to this article, Libssecondlife, the copy bot was originally supposed to be a useful tool but had been modified by someone outside of SL and can now copy avatars objects without permission.  LindenLab has now declared use of the copy bot a violation of their TOS, and will be kicked off the site. The problem here is that copy bots are not always caught.  Creating a code to counterfeit in SL is easy and of coarse profitable, just as in reality.  Although in both reality and virtual reality, the counterfeit business always finds a way to make money.  Now, is it right that the people responsible for creating counterfeit goods gets their SL privileges taken away?  I'm sure if they were able to make a substantial enough income, they can just log on from a different IP address.

Second Life: XXX

SL Lawsuit
I found an image attached to an interesting article linked above.  This article is about the inventor of SL's "sex-gen" bed, which is a bed where avatars can have sex in multiple positions and use sexual toys, etc, wants to file a class-action suit against Linden Labs for allowing "knock-offs" of his sexual toys.  Apparently, SL even has its own Canal Street, where avatars can do just as humans and purchase knock offs of all sorts.  Now, is taking a virtual sex bed suit into the real life court room going a little too far ?


Virtual Trauma?
Is there such thing rape in Second Life?  Apparently the answer is yes, and in some cases it may be just as traumatic to view this happening to your own avatar as in real life.  This article discusses online rape and the mental and emotional distress it causes.  Worst case scenario is a child or teenager being the victim, he or she may have no idea the avatar they have encountered is a much older person on the other end.  Which brings me to another problem on SL, you never know who is on the other end of the screen.  For example, in an article from Newsweek an avatar was caught putting up child pornography on SL and paid for sex with underage players posing as minors.  Avatars that are caught engaging in sexual activity with minors, known as "cybering" on SL, are ultimately kicked off.  Sex is starting to become a big part of SL, avatars can write or buy scripts to do anything they want, use any toy, look a certain way, manipulate body parts, and dress however they want.  Avatars that are being forced into unwanted sexual activity can try to get away by transporting themselves and even texting speech onto the screen to warn others.  Hmm, I wonder if we could have a light up sign to hang over avatar sex offenders heads to warn other avatars?
http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/cybercrime/199500710


Age Play
"Age Play" is when residents of SL sculpt their avatars to resemble children and engage in child-like activities like playing on playgrounds .  There are even ageplay communities.  The problem here is that avatars are engaging in sex with these particular avatars and it is becoming a problem.  Linden Lab has now banned Age Play entirely.  According to Linden Lab "real-life images, avatar portrayals, and other depictions of sexual or lewd acts involving or appearing to involve children or minors are not allowed within Second Life.  When detected, individuals and groups promoting or providing such content and activities will be subject to sanctions, which may include termination of accounts, closure of groups, removal of content, and loss of land or access to land." The issue is that sometimes it goes undetected, but how is it possible to keep something like "ageplay" from happening?

Second Life aka Gang Life?

Bloombergs article, that I posted in my last blog, also discussed "gangs" and "mafia" who are slowly starting to make themselves known in Second Life.  These groups come into a public spaces on Second Life and kick out unwanted avatars.  Most often these so called "gang" members assault other avatars until they leave the space and then take over with other "gang" members. 
http://exavor.com/2011/01/privacy-issues-on-second-life/
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/tech/news/article_1313171.php/Crime_rife_in_virtual_Second_Life
Virtual gangs are even killing off other gamers and stealing their "virtual property" worth real US dollars.  Unfortunetly, Linden Lab has a hard time setting laws against gang actitity and it still goes on.  It seems that the less Linden Lab does the more profit they make.  Well doesnt that sound familiar to real life.  Who would have thought that a game so close to our real life would become such a profitable industry... maybe that is all life is, simply a game we play.

Sources

http://abovethelaw.com/2009/09/lawsuit-of-the-day-getting-off-on-knock-off-virtual-sex-toys/

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2006/tc20061121_727243.htm

http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/commentary/sexdrive/2007/05/sexdrive_0504/

http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/cybercrime/199500710

http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Lab_Official:Clarification_of_policy_disallowing_ageplay

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/tech/news/article_1313171.php/Crime_rife_in_virtual_Second_Life

http://theforcethat.blogspot.com/2007/10/new-second-life-client.html