Second Life Profiles to the web. Privacy issues

Privacy

Selby Evans/Thinkerer Melville

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Thanks to Cummere Mayo for pointing some of the risks (particularly about partners) involved in posting SL profiles to the web.  See this post:

The SecondLife Technologist: Web Profiles: A counter View:

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That post led me to a prompt post on my blog: 

Privacy Alert! Your SL profile is on the web!

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I only got one comment about that.  Not on my blog, but in response to my notice on Facebook.  It dismissed my warning on the grounds that a significant other could not find the profile without knowing the avatar name. There is no adequate protection for that level of naivety.

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Regarding privacy

I don't argue that privacy is an outdated concept.  But I don't think personal responsibility is outdated either. And I do argue that if you put something out in a public place, you have given up privacy on that something.  That will be LL's defense if they are sued over events that result from putting the profiles on the web:

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'The profiles were accessible to anyone in the public if they who joined Second Life..."

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In sum, I think privacy is a matter of personal responsibility.  I do think Linden Lab failed its responsibility to keep its users informed.about what it was doing.   And yes, I do think such things should be opt-in.  

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BTW: I did try to see what was called for under "profile completeness,"  but I could not find the bar.

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Comments in the Second Life blogs about the profile/Facebook matter:

Second Life Blogs: Second Life Profiles, Facebook And Your...:

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Second Life Blogs: Is your profile picture ready for...: 

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Regarding Facebook and virtual worlds

I have not seen evidence of Facebook's hostility toward Second Life. Second Life is an advertiser there.  If you post a slurl in facebook (as some of us regularly do to promote events), Facebook may add an advertizing badge.  If someone clicks on the badge, joins Second Life, and becomes a premium member. Facebook gets paid.  Hostility should be made of sterner stuff.

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As to the terms of service in Facebook, here is what New World Notes has to say:

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New World Notes: What Are Your Favorite Second Life Groups on Facebook?: 

"... Facebook does technically forbid accounts that are pseudonymous avatar names, but as a Facebook rep told me a couple years ago, the vast majority of the "fake" accounts which Facebook actually bans are reported by other users, not from active policing by the social network. Which probably explains why Facebook has so many accounts which are actually avatar names. (The official Second Life page has over 107,000 members, many or most or whom are avatars.)"

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