Searchability, Filters, and the 18+ Enforcement Problem

You seemed to be the only one that really noticed a switch in gears, as most of the posts after 5 do not specifically address the Teen grid.

Also, "Sparky", I only know you from your posts here. I in no way indicated you were a Nazi, I simply asked a question about a point YOU made. However, if you give the impression of trying to impose censorship on one of the few games around that lets people fully explore being who they cannot be IRL, then maybe you shouldn't be surprised that some people might think you are.

Also, "Sparky", a teen grid, by definition should not have content requiring parental filters. There should already be built-in profanity filters and such, but depending on anything like a parental filter on a teen grid would be opening the company up to liability issues.

And, "Sparky", parental filters (along with built-in safeguards) tend to be more of a placebo than a cure for anything. Even the few parents that use them only gain a false sense of security.

Think about this, "Sparky", The core of attraction of SL is the ability of players to make thier own content. I don't see how they can maintain that core and control the content generated to meet even the loosest ideals of a teen-friendly game. Your parental filter, "Sparky", would have to also look at scripts, shapes, animations and etc., in addition to text, or it becomes worse than useless, it becomes a false security blanket and a major liability issue for LL. What is to stop someone from creating things called "The Lollipop" and "The Soft Taco" that resemble, and function, like the current set of male and female "bits" you can get ingame? How will your filter stop that "Sparky"? The only way to provide the total security you seem to be seeking for parents is to gut the game of it's most appealing aspects (not the sex stuff, but the ability to create whatever you can imagine).

I am tired, "Sparky", of people trying to turn everything in this world (the RL one that is) into a padded room to make sure no one sees anything offensive because parents cannot do their job. If parents are afraid of the content of a game, then their kids should not be playing the game. It is that simple. There are teen-friendly games out there, this does not have to be one of them.

And Finally, "Sparky", I am sorry to have invaded your "lovely" little topic, please post rules, or cliff notes, at the end of each of your posts, on what we are allowed to discus next and how you would like us to respond.

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If This seems like a bit of an attack, then maybe people should not respond to a neutral post by using condescending names and dismissing the post as as not part of thier "lovely" little topic.

I don't get it.

The whole point of the thread I mean.

The biggest complaint I've ever heard of from any user in SL is LAG. Why introduce lots of extra code into the game to (attempt to) filter out stuff? I can't imagine this would make anything run faster. Nothing is removed from the engines 'awareness' just additional layers of filter logic glomed onto the system and used to create a unique instruction set for each individual client engine... Yikes. Sounds like prety substantial overhead costs to me.

Like many 'problems' in RL society, simply enforcing existing rules/laws properly solves most of the problems. Constantly inventing new solutions to problems already solved just wasts everyones time and energy. The real problem is finding anyone willing to ACTUALY ENFORCE those existing rules/laws or as is often the case, even the new ones... ESPECIALLY in todays 'PC' climate... 'Oh, but it might hurt the feelings of <insert your favorite minority groups name> if we did that! Oh HORRORS!'

I'm not a lawyer but it seems to me that in an environment where a user can upload and or create 'anything', allowing a minor access for ANY reason is just asking for legal disaster. That same minor, 'sneaking in' by hoodwinking their parents or gaining access in with a stolen credit card is legaly defensable by LL.

LL has taken 'reasonable' precautions to prevent minors from accessing their systems. If a parent is unwilling or unable to do their job, it's not LLs responsibility to do it for them. That's why we have social services funded by our RL tax dollars...

I can't imagine any 'safe' way for a teen grid to operate other than as a 100% moderated area which prety much defeats the reason many people log into SL in the first place. The freedom to explore any and every idea we happen to dream up and to wander around and look at everyone elses crazy ideas even to the point of 'disgusting build contests' (can't wait to check that out later tonight ).

It seems to me that all it would take is one malicious 13 year old to upload something (even as trivialy simple to create as a picture of themselves naked) and some other parent looks over their kids shoulder when they 'find' that picture (or the parent finds a screenshot, etc...). BAM! LL is potentialy liable. They provided a place supposedly 'safe' for kids and didn't deliver on that promis. For many teens, their greatest joy in life is finding ways to 'tweak the noses' of authority and the reason they aren't held directly accountable is that they ARE children and simply don't have the capacity to understand the ramifications of their actions. Well... At least according to the courts in the US anyway. This just looks like a disaster simply waiting, practicaly begging, to happen.

There is no algorithem I've ever heard of that can reliably detect a 'pronographic' image as it's uploaded (there are many arguements as to what even constitutes pornography to begin with). Due to this, ALL uploaded content would require approval from a human operator before it could be allowed into the game (massively expensive).

I agree with the poster above who said that if you don't want your kid to see porn, don't let them on the internet unless you are sitting right there looking over their shoulder. There is imply NO other reliable way to regulate what they have access to on the net.

Racer P.