Group Notices and Age Verification

I have a question. I belong to a couple of groups that send notices a lot. I have received notices that contained nudity in ads, sexually themed material, etc., very much in the hard-R zone. Will there be some way of limiting that now that LL is openly accommodating children on the main grid by requiring verification to enter adult areas.

If, say, the Fashcon group has a member that sends out a skin add, nekkid back and front with a big smile, will that be distributing pornography to minors if there is nothing done to prevent minor members from seeing it? Should there be "Only open this if you are over 18" statements on group notices when the verification policy goes completely live?

Parcel access is just a small part of the adult material on SL. The search engine's "include mature" feature doesn't work AT ALL. It never fails to put hardcore material in my searches, even when I opt out. The same for groups, etc. How is SL going to expand the verification technology to these parts of SL?

I don't think I've read anything about limiting group notices. I suppose a minor could AR the group if they find their tiny innocent eyes burning at the pictures sent out to group members. Then LL would just close the group to protect the kids.

Remember that legally, nudity does not imply pornography. This is true in the US, and I expect most other places.

Having said that, a group that allows full nude avatar images to be distributed via notices should identify itself as a mature group. However, it's not necessary to consider the group restricted (in the age verification sense) if the images aren't sexual.

If the crux of the verification issue is limiting access to adult material, then it seems odd to me that I would have to put up barriers to may land, yet be able to send hardcore porn to anyone in SL that I wanted to, regardless of verification.

Will we be able to send files to people who aren't verified? What about putting nudity in our profiles? All this seems so utterly insipid considering there aren't supposed to be kids here in the first place.

As I said in the other post I made, I'm pulling out of publishing anything in SL or sponsoring art contests, etc., until this stuff is made clear. If I distribute my magazine via group subscription, and one of the readers is a kid, then I basically have to sanitize any adult material from the publication or be in danger of distributing pornographic materials to a minor.

I really assumed the whole point of closing this grid to kids was so we didn't have to worry about that. Now, I guess we are all going to have to worry every time we change our clothes as to whether there is a ten year old ogling us through the walls.

Of course you can mark a group mature, but that, apparently, isn't enough, given we can also mark our parcels mature and yet we need this added level of restriction. It makes sense that everything in SL will require this added level of restriction now if we are assuming there are kids behind every avatar.

The message here seems to be that announcing that the material is mature isn't enough. We have to restrict access to it. At this time, and in whatever future LL has described, I see no way to do that with publications, group notices, search listings, etc. If a child can walk onto my land whether I have it listed as mature or not, then they can certainly see my ad or read my group notice when it is marked mature.

I'm sure a lot of missed details and corner cases are going to come out once this stuff gets turned on for real. Report them as they show up..

It's not a matter of details, unfortunately, but the entire philosophy of the world. Our freedom of expression, and therefore our personal liberty to not fear being held accountable for our adult expression on the grid is now totally different, in my mind, anyway.

I've never met a single person that wants to share the grid with children. Yet, instead of finding new ways of keeping them off the grid, we create a tiered system of existence within SL that basically ASSUMES there are here.

That's not a small detail, not in the least. That changes almost everything.

Well I'm not sure whether group notices are going to fall foul of the law with regard to id verification but I do know that panic is setting in already. I've had two group notices from malls asking people to remove any adult orientated items from sale or display.

When in danger or in doubt: run in circles, scream and shout.

edit: /me attributes the above quote to Lazarus Long to prevent being DMCA'ed by Morwen.

"Don't suspect your friend, report him!" -- Terry Gilliam _Brazil_

I'm so glad that LL is turning their customer base into righteous tattle-tales. We should question whether that is a world we want. Even if Linden Lab says that you have an affirmative duty to be a narc does not mean you actually do. If you fall for their totalitarian propoganda, perhaps you should question if you are being the sort of person you want to be.

I'm a parent and consider "think of the children!" arguments to be specious abrogation of parental duties.

I have to think it will apply. If we indeed assume that there are minors in our groups, even in mature ones, then we have to protect ourselves.

If I send a nude photo to a minor any other way on the Internet, I can be sent to prison for it. If they are telling us to assume unverified people are minors here, then there will be no adult activities whatsoever from me, nor will I support any. Sadly, that isn't just porn, but a lot of other worthwhile things, too.

OMG..........when will this constant trolling nonsense stop? LOL

Pointing to problems that for the most part don't exist and making big mountains out holes in the ground.

Oh noes.. I'm usually in a hedgehog avatar. How many clothing shops do you think there are for hedgehogs?? I'll tell you how many there are: (almost) none!!

LL is forcing me to either verify and forever remain on verified land or invent my own line of hedgehog grape leaves!! Class action lawsuit!!! Who's with me??

Woahhh.... I am accusing you of plagiarism!!! That used to be my Lineage II slogan...

(just kidding, I know it is a widely spread saying )

Morwen.