Ageplay Banned?

It seems that LL may have finally banned public ageplay. This is from a notecard distributed by Chadwick Linden to SL businesses:

------------------------
Dear Second Life Resident:
Linden Lab would like to inform you that your land or business is possibly not in
compliance with Second Life's Community Standards. The depiction of sexual
activity involving minors may violate real-world laws in some areas, and the
Second Life community as a whole has made it clear that it views such
behavior to be broadly offensive. Linden Lab chooses not to allow the
advertising or promotion of age play or related activities in any public
forum -- including in-world textures, classified ads, the Second Life
forums, or parcel descriptions.

Advertisements, promotions, or descriptions of such activities must be
removed to avoid account sanctions. Any account asserting an age that does
not meet Second Life's minimum age of eligibility will be closed.

Linden Lab
-------------------------

Odd way to go about it, to invent an interpretation of the existing standards and distribute it quietly amongst SL businesses.

Source: http://www.secondlifeherald.com/slh/2007/03/ll_ageplay_shoc.html

How do we know this is official in any way?

I could be wrong, but this seems kinda fishy to me. I would think that if this were official LL policy now it would be listed somewhere in the Linden Blog or such.

like I was a few minutes ago

Mily, I read that thread, no one accused you of trolling, just the misreading Mr/s. Vargas.

Strife locked it for a reason. Search "ageplay" and see how heated the discussions become.

And since no one else asked, who does the creator show on the notecard?

A

If this is true and Linden Labs is dstributing this notecard to businesses and others that condone, contribute, allow or otherwise aid the "roleplay" of child pornography then LL has gone a long ways toward redeming themselves in my eyes. "Rolepay" your child/adult games somewhere else than my backyard.

If it's false and someone outside LL is distributing the notecards then at least it might fianally get LL involved with dealing with this depraved "game".

Either way I'm glad the notecards are being dealt out.

I have spoken directly to Chadwick Linden. The notecard is genuine.

In seeking clarifcation on the subject.. it was explained to me that it was the use of the term "Ageplay" that would cause issues. (the LL understanding of the term, being limited to it's meaning as "Sexual Ageplay".

Further, it was explained that anyone with a child avatar must not state in their profile that they are underage (in character).. but if they do, they risk having their account blocked.. since there's no way to verify age. That businesses (like prostitution houses) could not advertise the term "ageplay".. basically LL is on a mission to scrub the term from all searchable databases.

The practice of "Child Roleplay" has not been banned.
The use, creation, or sale of "Kid Avatars" has not been banned.

That was my understanding, based on our conversation.

I have no doubt that this notecard was created and distributed by someone with the last name of Linden. I just have my doubts as to it's status of being official LL policy. After all, sending a notecard to select useers in-game seems an odd way of desseminating company policy/game rules.

And it could also be a way of protecting the people engaged in the practice from undue harrassment or ridicule.

Me? I'd embarrass the hell out of them.

"the Second Life community as a whole has made it clear that it views such behavior to be broadly offensive"
If "as a whole" is true, why is anyone doing it?
Shouldn't something of this caliber come from Ginsu?

I'm putting this up for Linden Review.

This is a april fools joke right :/ hehe its not apil and i highly doubt LLabs would banned ageplay.......After all the problems, nightmares, and total loonies playing those roles. Do you think LLabs would stop this? I doubt this. maybe its a out of contol linden pushing his two pences, cents, or whatever.........

They haven't banned age play, just the public advertisement of it. It can still be practice, just not publicly. I am going to guess that a legal issue has come up and that is behind the decision.

I'm actually encouraged by this, not with regard to the rights or wrongs of sexualized ageplay, but with regard to Linden Labs as a governing body. Terms of service all over the Internet have long been plagued by vague prohibitions of "offensiveness", leaving users to think they were at the mercy of the personal opinions of whatever official-type critter just happened to see their content. But I think the outcry over sexualized ageplay, and even the anti-thought police response to that outcry, have shown that yes, the community as a whole does consider it broadly offensive. Not that everyone does, or that everyone who thinks it's offensive thinks it should be banned, but that the community in general considers it broadly offensive, yes. And that Linden Labs didn't take any real action _until_ the community outcry had become so loud -- that's what I find so encouraging. I don't want a governing body that operates only on its own personal beliefs, or that uses a community "whisper" to justify taking whatever action it wants. I want one that acts when there's a clear call for it and only then.

Wow, the first time I've ever seen Strife mention Linden Review and/or the term "broadly offensive" without the thread being locked down.

from what I understand virtual child images of a sexual nature are illegal in some of Europe and Austrailia.

I also beleive virtual child images involving violence are illegal in the UK.

Ageplay is freaking SICK! But at the same time I think anyone wshould be able to do anything they want in a virtual world with any other person who in real life is of leagal age. Good luck!

I suspect that this is a response to the Dutch Parliament, and perhaps also that Fox News segment that *exposed* SL's dark underbelly.

LL always said they'd do something about sexual ageplay if the community made it clear that's what they wanted.

That may be, but LL cannot be held to those laws. They fall under the laws of the jurisdiction they are based in (San Francisco, California, United States). It's up to players themselves to adhere to whatever laws are applicable in their home jurisdiction.

True but it's a whole lot easier for all concerned if sexual ageplay isn't publicy accessible in SL. The welfare of SL residents, not just LL's liability is at stake here.

After all it's easy for someone from the Netherlands or Australia to accidentally stumble upon or fly into a sexual ageplay place in SL. There are no end of child escort services, for example.

That is a really gray area. LL may not be held to those laws, but anyone from those countries could be. Just being in SL could cause them to be in violation. LL doesn't want to lose entire counties worth of people. Plus, the community has spoken and I think that LL is listening. It is easier to ban somethings then others.

Of course -

But LL may have decided it wasnt worth alienating potential customers in those areas to keep Sexual Age Play amoung the things allowed in SL.

Though i do not like under age sex or pooping of diapers i must state one fact... If LL really is banning people's rights to ROLE PLAY as a kid period...., what is to stop them from banning us from role playing slaves? And what about us Furries? You know a lot of people like to confuse us as animal molesters which were not, but not everybody who role plays as a kid is a pedophile or a REAL kid either... what ever happened to "Your World, Your Imagination."?

Not all the people who play as children in SL are into sex... i know that for a fact because i know a large handful of babyfurs who only do it to be a part of a family, because it helps them to express themselves, and for a cute factor. Some people can just be totally overprotective of kids. I mean none of these "kids" are REAL!!! Wake up! Stop moaning about what other people do with their life and worry about your own... I play as a 1095 Year old Purple Wolf Spirit Guide. Gona ban me for that next?

Isnt the first thing that was banend if I remember right

Was a NAZI BDSM porn area that was banned.

They also have banned some offensive matterial involving racism.

Im going off memory , but there were threads on those items as well.

Banning advertising and such of ageplay is onething, but I don't see how LL would be able to realistically ban ageplay itself from SL. Not without fundimentally altering the SL experience that is.

If they make it a violation - then people would AR it.

Just like racist activity.