WARNING! Privacy Issues with IM'd Emails!

Updated: The issue lies with your email client and not LL servers.

I don't know where to point this out, but I consider it a HUGE privacy concern and therefore am posting it here.

I just noticed in an email from a friend that their REAL NAME was in the reply. So I did a few tests with my ALT and discovered that the To: field (in the body of the email) is now populated with your REAL NAME and not your AV name.

If you forgot to clear this field, as my friend did, it is sent back to the original sender.

[9:43] <MY ALT>: I am ok Samantha. Thank you -----Original Message----- From: Samantha Glume [mailto:jtiddubdwr7rlvfdo99yisertgbix7v7cc99po2ddxrx3a7kb9sa4zb9cykf6a6m @im.agni.lindenlab.com] Sent: August 21, 2007 9:23 AM To: <REAL NAME> Subject: Message From Second Life [9:21] Samantha Glume: Hello, How are you?


Notice the <REAL NAME> ? That is what you see.

So make sure you erase that information from the email reply or set your email program to not output the senders (your) information in the reply.

Is the email account in your real name, or in your AV's name?

I can't figure out that JIRA bug reporting system to post this issue, maybe someone else can do it?

When you hit reply to an email, just clear the text on the screen that has the info. It's up to the sender to be sure they are just sending the text they wrote and not the personal info that shows up by default in your text window when you hit reply.

It's the way the email account is set up and has nothing to do with IM's or LL.

I believe that the name you are referring to is whatever name is listed on that email account. This (among many other reasons) is why many of us make an email account specifically for SL and then there is no risk like this.

~ Desi

Yes, the question above is a good one. Was this from a *reply* from that email address? If it is a reply, of course it has whatever information you have supplied to your email provider. Its not from SL, its from whoever your email is used with. So was that a reply to the IM sent to your email?

Not sure SL can help with this, looks like when they replied from email they included a copy of your email to them... Not problem with SL at all.

They need to change the settings in their email client to not include the original message in the reply.

This is not LL's breach, but your friend's problem due to the client she uses to read her email. This is something she needs to fix in her email client - the email account uses her real name and is clearly not an SL-only account. If she doesn't want her real name out there, she needs to either hide her real name in her account information on her email client, or give LL a new email address designed only for SL.

That's why I set up email accounts with my SL name and business on them, so as to avoid the potential mixing of RL info.

Gmail even offers pop capability, so it can be used with any email software.

This isn't a "security issue" with SL, it's how the email client is configured.

all I see is my email account mail name.....

Just set up a free email account and use your avatar name instead. or dont forget to clear the field...

Yes, I see, it is the email client populating the name with the default name in the entry. Even if you use a gmail, for example, but pop/forward it over to your client it will STILL populate your name in the To: field of the reply.

Well at least this message might help others become aware of the issue.