The Thieves Motherload

Still upset?

You're taking it out on the wrong person.

I never said I was the CEO of Linden Lab. I said technology can solve this. The minute you cut me a fat check I will get right to work solving it. Until then I will go about my business being a good citizen of Second Life. I do not owe anyone anything else.

Part of the problem will always be the different laws in different parts of the globe. Can you or I solve that one?

Why don't you take a walk and a few deep breaths. No one is stopping you from enjoying anything. Maybe you are.

Near every job I have worked at has required that sort of ID, short of birth certificate, they even want my forklift licence, electrical licence and tax file number.
Every game I have played online has required my name, address and credit card number. Even Pizza delivery requires that too.

Can't have content theft when you have no content

Same thing

Perhaps; but even then, there's a limit to what kind of information they can give out like that.

I'm not naive enough to believe that my information stays with the companies/entities to whom I provide the information - which is precisely why I am against opening up yet *another* conduit through which my information leaves my control - especially to a company who has no proven track record for protecting confidentiality.

Besides: It is one thing to write out my name, address, social security number, and driver's license number on an application for a job, a house, a loan, or a public utility. It is another thing entirely to submit photocopies of my personal records.

Add RL name along with that credit card and billing address, and I'll go along with you. However, I feel that Rock has a valid point. We are dealing with intellectual property here, and real money. In some cases, significant amounts of real money. LL, as the only "governing body" of SL, really should know who is here...so if someone materially harms another resident, appropriate action against them can be taken.

We can debate all over the place as to just *how much* and what kind of RL identification ought to be provided, but I think SOME way of tying a real person to an SL account is needed. (As well as protections so that privileged information does not get disclosed except in certain defined circumstances.)

Oh I agree..LL would never get copies of my documents either. I gave them my SSN last 4 for IDV, they also have my name, address and CC number as well. But that's all they would get from me.

Not having fingerprints on everybody is great for all the murderers and other criminals who don't get caught.

I stand corrected.

Or they could do things the logical and less intrusive way, and demand that level of information once something has happened.

There are already many people who cannot give personal information due to laws where they live. Adding more bureaucracy that is doomed to be a massive fail is not the way.

Yeah, but only real Old School Libs make the Red connection. These New Age Liberals are too full of themselves to figure that out.

So much for alts.

Good-bye, cruel world.

/me wonders if this thread will self-correct and point back to the subject of content theft.

You won't see me shed any tears.

So has anybody got any good recipes?

Right. I'm too blinded by my own.

Did I miss the welcoming committee?

we'll see about that

That's all I'm saying. I have no problem providing my name, credit card number, and billing address, as these things are common forms of identification in the business world. I have a minor problem with divulging my driver's license number and last 4 of my SSN only because this opens the door to potential for identity theft; but will grudgingly do so if I have to, and have done which I did for IDV. But divulging my entire SSN or any physical copies of identification records is an absolute no-no.

The real problem is, however: What is to stop me, or a content thief, from providing falsified information? Would the level of protection provided by this strategy be worth the potential risk to my personal information?

I was a frequent mover, having never lived anywhere for longer than four years; yet I have only ever had to update my mailing address with the State Department of Motor Vehicles.I don't recall having to provide three separate forms of ID when I got my license, but then that was a quarter of a century ago, so things may have change since then. I don't recall having to give anything more than my social security number and swear under oath by my signature that the information I provided was true and correct. And even then, they did not make a copy of my social security card.

That being said, there is a difference between a government agency and a private, commercial enterprise when it comes to levels of trust with my personal information. I trust the government agencies more simply because, quite frankly, they already *have* access to that information.

Alts would do just fine even with all the RL identification I've been saying is needed. Here's how it works.

You create your first account, or if you already have one, go ahead and provide info to go with it. Now Linden Lab has that information stored on file.

Next you register another name, or switch to another name you already have registered. Obviously this avatar is the same RL person as the first one, right? So you fill out some other forms requesting that this alt be tied to the first one. Linden Lab then confirms that the two are one and the same, perhaps by contacting the first one through the info on file there and verifying that they're aware of the second one and want number two added to their account.

Repeat this for numbers 3, 4, 5, etc., depending on how many a person has (this would also include eliminating the cap of 5 avatars per person, as was already mentioned in another thread).

So now, you have multiple names all tied to the same RL person. I, as another person in SL, have no access to this info, and there's no way for me to know what other avatar names Peace Toxx might be tied to, unless you tell me so or I just make an educated guess and get it right. Linden Lab, however, will know, because you've set up your account and registered all your names with it.

The advantages to this are good for you, as well as making it easier to catch the criminals, too.

They could make it easier to share your L$ balance and even inventory items between your avatars, for example. Perhaps by having a common inventory pool tied to your account where you could share a transferrable item between all your avatars. Call it a wardrobe or clothes closet, if you wish. You'd also have access to your credit card or paypal account to buy or sell L$ with any of your avatars, without having to mess around with getting PIOF and PIU status over and over and over again, just do it once and it covers all of them.

From the standpoint of dealing with content theft etc., it's also a good thing because this way it doesn't only affect the offending avatar. Start getting too far out of line with one avatar to the point where you are now a criminal, and all your avatars go away. That's a pretty nice deterrent.

I know there are still flaws with this whole idea but I've put a lot of thought into things and it's the best I can figure out for how to deal with problem children, and it's got other benefits that give us actually more useful tools for our avatars. It's not a case of trading freedom for some temporary fleeting sense of security as somebody else put it, but (at least in my opinion) rather an effective tool for both the residents and Linden Lab themselves.

Nonsense. All my alts are tied to my credit card and RL name/address.

Then you don't have to worry about them getting it from LL, and the identity thieves probably got it from a hacked into bank of government database, so what is there to worry about.

As far as driver's licenses go, here in the great State of New Jersey you have to show what they call "6 points of ID" to get or renew a license. 3 points come from a passport, birth certificate, Official government ID of any sort, and the remaining 3 points come from items such as a utility bill, social security card, marriage certificate, bank staement ot ATM card, or some sort of government mail sent to your current address..

Not in any state I have ever lived in. You only got a State ID if you wanted a valid photo id and you did not drive or your license had been suspended for some reason.


Nope - I can get a driver's license in Colorado by just showing my Passport.

I am in total agreement here. Anonymous accounts are a truly bad idea, and this is getting proven time and time again. But I am not about to disclose any more information about myself than a private commercial enterprise is legally entitled to. This is limited to my name, my credit card number, and my billing address. They are not legally entitled to my social security number since I am not opening a line of credit; and they are not legally entitled to a copy of my driver's license nor my birth certificate. In fact, I'm pretty certain they cannot legally ask for such.

True. However, all jest aside, even though real, professional identity thieves may already have our information, you still wouldn't plaster your house and your car and everwhere you go with your personal information, would you?


Remind me to not move to New Jersey!

But, in all seriousness - again, this is a government agency as opposed to a private, profit-driven business; and I'm pretty certain they did not make copies of what you provided.