Age Verification goes grid wide
I'm reporting to you live from a land bot meeting. All I'm saying about that is Captcha. Sarah Nerd will fill you in with the broader details... apparently they are now proposing a bot that can do unimaginable things to females!
No i'm here to talk about ....age verfication going grid wide as reported in the blog by Robin Linden ...she has a sexy accent you know. However even that can't win me over on this issue.
I've often heard people say that LL don't listen. This is a classic example. There are people complaining about privacy laws in their country. There are people complaining about it not working, there are people pointing out the flaws. All these issues were raised when it first went out to concierge customers and we're still awaiting responses, of course this is now extended beta but this is bordering on the absurd.
I'm verified, I verified with my name, address and date of birth. I didn't put in any additional information regarding a passport or driving licence because quite frankly I object to providing this information to a company who have no official authority to check this information. I raised this issue with the UK Passport office and they replied to me:
"I can confirm that the Identity and Passport Service does not officially authorise this company to check passport numbers."
The simple fact of the matter is that it's easier to be verified than it is to achieve payment info used status. If a minor uses a credit card to get payment info used status, then an adult sees this information on their statement. If a minor uses an adult's details to become verified....that adult sees nothing, you don't even get an email.
All they had to do was use credit cards, the smokescreen about VISA not verifying age has been blown apart many times. All it would have took was for me to engage in a small transaction with Integrity. They would need my name and address for that, they can verify this information (hence why I'm verified) and I get a paper trail. Voila, everybody is happy.
However what we have now is a mess and a dangerous one at that. Kids will verify, adults won't know and the bottom line is that bad publicity will arise from this. LL of course have Integrity's legal promise now, but residents will be left to try and clean up this mess when a news crew get their eleven year old to verify and go to a restricted parcel.
We should also be being treated like adults. This isn't about restricting minors from accessing the grid, I'm glad they've dropped a lot of the trust nonsense they were mentioning regarding this issue, but people are being led to believe that this is about keeping minors out, it isn't, it's about LL legally covering themselves. That of course is something that we should all welcome, so why can't LL be upfront about this?
There are also of course issues regarding why Integrity are asking for information that they can't officially verify. I'd hazard a guess that this is a smokescreen to make it appear that they are asking for extra information. I'd also hazard a cynical guess that it's so they can have this information to sell their product to other companies.
As for business, if I was running an adult business I'd be planning an escape route right this very minute!
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Plausible deniability.
All it is really about is plausible deniabiliy - no more, no less. Actually solving the problem - something beyond the scope of Law - is something that doesn't mix well with the bureaucracy...
Second Life Consultant
Deniable plausibility
The law has a problem. You don't actually know the law until someone drags someone else before a court. In the Middle Ages they said the law in gremio iudicum, in the bosom of the judges. The default judgement in Eros LLC v John Doe tells us that nearly everything the TOS says about virtual property not being property is wrong. If a court can grant relief on intellectual property grounds, then Linden Lab should tear up those TOS causes which allege that virtual property is unproperty.
They will not, because keeping the claim alive is going to persuade many platform users that it must be true. All it really proves is that LL need new lawyers. The EU, Australia, Canada and most other jurisdictions have quite strict laws on the privacy, accuracy and security of personal data. LL may well have acquired plausible deniability in age matters within the US. They have also very likely acquired plausible liability under the privacy laws of almost everywhere outside the US. We'll know if and when someone drags someone else before a court.
Many of those privacy laws impose criminal penalties. Choice of law and choice of forum clauses do not run against the criminal law.
Oh pahleeese
It's a three-way finger-pointing ruse.
And because of it, I don't care if a 14-year-old cheats to get verified and comes to my land and mommy finds out and decides to raise hell about it.
I couldn't care any less and I would invite he or she to COME ON BACK when you get the chance! YOU'RE VERIFIED! :)
I can point the finger to Linden Lab because I flagged my parcel to only allow 'verified' people. So, I'm covered. I did *all* I can do to prevent minors.
Linen Lab points to Integrity. "Hey, we hired you guys to do all the verifying, WE aren't liable."
Integrity points back to Linden Lab with whatever excuse they want to come with regarding the security and stability of the viewer and all that.
It's just a finger=pointing 'round-robin.
And because of that - I say "Come on down! I don't care if you're just reaching puberty. As long as you can TP into my 'verified-flagged' parcel - you're welcomed to get yourself and eye-full and enjoy.