Cyberstalking

It seems that this discussion branches into two different modes of cyberstalking.

On one branch we are discussing SL-Only cyberstalking. This would include unwanted attention solely in-world and from within the Second Life context. This type of stalking could include harassing IMs, following users around, or simulating unacceptable actions in-game, and as mentioned, publishing unwanted photos of avatars.

The other branch would be a discussion about Second Life as the launch pad for more conventional cyberstalking. In this case, Second Life is simply another communication medium through which the RL victim is stalked. Perhaps a stalker was introduced to their victim via Second Life, but then escalates the unwanted behavior into other mediums.

Both scenarios are interesting and worthy of discussion. While the "SL-Only" stalking is totally breaking new legal ground, conventional cyber stalking with Second Life a medium seems more closely related to the aforementioned article.

Damn, I've been sitting in these dwell chairs and tinkering with blaze's nukes all week, too!

I guess one thing about stalking over the net is that it's not easy to assess real threat.

If a 12 year-old punk comes skating by me and yells "You're going down, a**hole! I know where you live. I'm gonna rip you apart like a Wheatbix!", I'm not going to freak. I'm just going to say "Get back in the house, ya lil' horror. It's time for lunch. Why, if you weren't my nephew, I'd.." and so forth.

Except online, it could be a kid playing a prank, or it could be something ELSE and you wouldn't know. Either way, the stalking activity has to be stopped because the fear is real and the penalties should ideally be applied on a case-by-case basis, I guess. Do we know any other details of this case so we can see why the punishment was so severe? Or was precedent from previous cases blindly applied?

P.S. What falls under the category of amorphous threat? Gelatinous Cubes? The Blob?

It's interesting isn't it ? I am afraid the answer may, eventually, be - yes, you can.

An anonymous person has a reputation amongst other anonymous persons who recognise her and carry out transactions with her. These transactions can have, even if via a currency exchange, RL cash value. Damaging the reputation of an avatar, and the trust it enjoys from others, can cause real financial damage to the person owning it.

It could maybe even be argued that communications beween real people, despite using the avatars as a channel, are still of unreduced significance to them in terms of emotional content and ability to suffer real distress, humiliation, and to be hurt by ostracism, withdrawal of previous support etc. So maybe even an action for emotional distress and humiliation might have a chance of success.

I seriously hope such things don't come to pass, introducing the risk of one resident faking up charges to force an opponent into the open court, thus breaking their anonymity.

Perhaps the answer would be to preserve anonymity throughout any litigation process, with only the attorney knowing the true identity of his client, collecting and passing over fines etc. Even imprisonment would not necessarily require the victim to know RL identity, so long as the system guaranteed him that the right person had been punished.

Might require a special new branch of the courts, or new procedures in the old.

Without, eventually, something like this, I fear that anonymity could always fall victim to an unscupulous opponent. Even introduce a new form of griefing. Blackmail by threat of exposure through unfounded court action.

Ouch.

An SLer contacted me privately and asked me to post this for her:

Ok Aimee... I get the message. No more stalking for you! Not from this egg!

LOL! You can stalk me anytime babe <3

Aimee, its not that I'm stalking you, its just that you have that vice with my... OUCH!

I only stalk aimee to learn her building methods, honest.

Do I have to stop stalking you?

Ok you guys are going to have to start making reservations. I only have so many bushes outside my window and they seem to be filling up fast.

Move along citizen, we are a hedge.

*stalk stalk stalk*

Ooh! *stalks Trinny*

Hey, you can't stalk me if I'm stalking you. Can you?

How about we just meet in the middle and then do perverse things off in some remote skybox, each pretending the other isn't liking it. Or something.


Look, a distraction! >.>