Second Life tackles virtual nuisances

Second Life creator Linden Lab admits it has been forced to increase security and change some of its policies to stamp out illegal and nuisance behaviour in the virtual world.

Linden Lab's head of community, Robin Harper, told silicon.com that "emerging" behaviours deemed undesirable within the virtual world sometimes require a change in code or user policies to tackle them.

Second Life has six overarching community standards that govern the virtual world. "That's pretty much the code we live by," said Harper.

But she added: "There are frequently grey areas. The challenge is how to interpret these things. When we built Second Life, we said if it's illegal in the real world, it's illegal in Second Life. That's a little bit difficult sometimes to determine."

Last summer Linden Lab stepped up security checks and banned gambling and unregulated banks from its digital borders.

Second Life - the business evolution

Click on the links below to see pictures of some of the many real-world businesses that have set up outposts in Second Life.

Toyota
Intel
Dell
Cisco
IBM
Circuit City
Sears
Wired
ABN Amro
Samsung
Field Fisher Waterhouse
AOL
Adidas
Nissan
Sun Microsystems
Reebok
Penguin
American Apparel
Reuters
CNET Networks
PA Consulting
Yankee Stadium

Regarding the recent move to ban unregulated banks, Harper said: "The banking issue is a different kind of problem because the regulations are very unclear. Real world regulations as they apply to virtual spaces are still being discussed and evaluated."

But the decision to ban gambling in Second Life was taken because it was putting Linden Lab at risk as its servers are based in the US where online gambling is illegal.

Linden Lab consulted attorneys in the US and decided to ban gambling in its virtual world. "That was a very tough decision," Harper said.

In the past, Second Life has also suffered from 'grey goo' attacks, where altered code multiplies objects within the world to such an extent that they bring down servers.

"It's very easy to make things in Second Life, that's the whole point, to be able to build whatever you want," Harper explained.

But she said these grey goo attacks are now a declining problem. "We know how to get rid of those now, so we haven't had one of those for a long time."

Another issue involves 'griefers', which are avatars that make a general nuisance of themselves in Second Life by disrupting events or meetings, for example.

Harper said this problem needs to be considered more carefully. "In the meantime, we throw them out as fast as we catch them," she said.

Harper also discussed how Second Life is developing. "The interesting thing here about Linden Lab's project here is that we're building a platform for development and it can be used in any number of ways."

She cited the business benefits being realised by companies now using it as part of their recruitment strategy.

But Harper admitted: "The companies themselves are still experimenting. A lot depends on the nature of the business."

And Linden Lab claims there is still a lot more to come from Second Life. Harper said: "What we're doing with the platform is working with other interested technologists, so we can in effect become a 3D version of the internet."