Thought for the Day

Hi there,

something interesting caught my eye at work today. A little while ago there was a program (not sure if it was the news or dispatches) about Second Life and how there were now secret areas in this site where pedophiles could go and find child characters who would perform very disturbing actions for the pedophile characters. I was so shocked by this as I understood Second Life to be a game and a great place where people could create their dream lifestyle.

I found myself feeling very confused however because a spokesperson for Second Life had said this “world” was created by its members and there were very few rules as to what characters could do in this fantasy world. It now seems that today Second Life have the power to ban banks??

Linden Lab, the creator of Second Life, said it had been forced to intervene after receiving complaints about a string of dodgy in-world financial offerings that promised unfeasibly high interest rates for investors.

In a post on its blog (http://blog.secondlife.com/2008/01/08/new-policy-regarding-in-world-banks/) it said the schemes, if left unchecked, posed “unique and substantial risks” to the financial health of the much-hyped community:

“As of January 22, 2008 we will begin removing any virtual ATMs or other objects that facilitate the operation or facilitation of in-world “banking,” i.e., the offering of interest or a rate of return on L$ invested or deposited.”

Linden Lab has always said it would limit its role in policing members’ activity in Second Life, however they have already banned gambling and said it had no “workable alternative” other than to step into the banking arena.

It said it had received complaints about several in-world ‘banks’ that ended up leaving depositors with nothing to show for their investments, the most high profile of which was Ginko Financial, which declared itself insolvent last August.

Linden Lab added:

“As these activities grow, they become more likely to lead to destabilization of the virtual economy. At least as important, the legal and regulatory framework of these non-chartered, unregistered banks is unclear.”

Apparently Second Life banks are now being hit by a run on their funds as residents seek to withdraw their cash before the ban comes into force.

My problem with this news is that it seems Linden Lab pick and choose when they want to step in and I feel the pedophile case would be a perfect example. surely these “secret areas” can be banned or removed somehow? even undercover characters could be monitoring who is consistantly visiting these areas of the site and monitor their behavior?

I worry because I was quite intereseted in Second Life and even considered joining just to have a look, whereas now I daren’t because I feel like its unsafe and there are too many unknown threats and problems lurking in this virtual world that I wouldn’t like to bump into by accident.

The second problem is that perhaps allowing pedophiles to “satisfy” themselves virtually may eliminate the real problem of pedophiles.

This issue is making my brain hurt because I feel that there should never be a situation where anyone is scared of a game whether it is virtual or real.