New identity authentication system?

personally, since it will be voluntary, and the only reasons for choosing to give details is to play at casinos or brothels, i have absolutely no reason to give any information anyway.

fwiw, I did propose a solution upthread that would keep the relevant information very private, while still allowing it to be used.

The only privacy you stand to lose is if you happen to have something come up that requires LL to devulge that personal information you already provided them.............which I would imagine would only be some suspicion (with warrant) of some crime or, at least, some gross misconduct on your part But even without any new "program" for resident verification, that would happen anyway. And Robin Linden specifically said it would be an opt-in/out thing. You can choose not to have the little "gold star" (or whatever the method of showing it might be) if you want.

So my question is still the same..........what's the problem?

The problem is that your yellow star or what ever, will bring classes into SL.

Morwen.

The solution I suggested upthread would have had it so that "gold star" would not be publicly visible.

So to who will it be visible? Linden? I may hope they already keep track of acounts who have been involved in bad matters (positive AR's and alike).

Other then Linden, I don't trust my personal information... as said, they have it all there already, because I used my CC often, very often.

Anyone else as them seeing it, will lead to classes forming... openly or secret, but it will.

Morwen.

I am so surprised that so many people failed to look at the CONTEXT under which the "verification" issue came up.

This was stated in the same blog entry as the one restricting casino ads. Therefore, that is the subject the verification would be used for.

The ad restriction came about because in some countries it is illegal to gamble. Therefore, IMO, the ONLY info they were talking about allowing some members to see is what COUNTRY you are from, so they can refuse your entrance to a gambling establishment, therefore eliminating the possibility of being prosecuted for allowing you to illegally gamble.

Why would anyone have a problem with anyone knowing which country you are from?

I think there is a LOT of needless panicking going on here. Thinking that LL is ever going to require you to have your phone number available to everyone is just pure and total paranoia. It simply would kill the game.

Of course, I don't care much about the issue, because I don't gamble. I have nothing against gambling, I'm just not interested. But I don't think this issue will impact me, other than possibly suppressing the LL economy.

I wish people would calm down and THINK about this issue. I don't think it's worth a panic attack.

Panic? No, not for me.

Principles? The right of Privacy? Oh yes, very much.

Morwen.

I already have a little "gold star". It says "Payment Info" and it's an asserted identity by the credit card issuer/paypal. Anything else is voluntarily provided information and can't be trusted, which we already have "No Payment Info" for.

Some people live in a country with 300 million, others live in a country with 1 million inhabitants. There's a rather big disconnect in what country name reveals.

People who live on the other side of the world are quite happy just knowing what country, but people who live in the same one as I do always end up pressing for more details and almost always feel they have a right to ask for more information because we happen to live nearby. I can do without those headaches.

We already have a verification system. If LL is finally discovering that it's running into trouble by allowing everyone to just sign up with fake information, it can go back to mandatory verification and boot those who don't want to verify off the grid.

I think that is where this issue just might be heading.........and, in my opinion, that's a good thing. And I only threw out that "gold star" to say that there would be some easy, quick and somewhat accurate way for others to know that someone is known (within the bounds of feasibility) to LL. Nothing more than a confidence builder for residents in SL. Would it be a visible "gold star" or anything? Who knows. But my impression from Robin's comments is that it would be readily accessible by others.........as long as the resident is opted in. Everyone is making such a big deal out of a "gold star" .

And as for the "class warfare" stuff. That already exists and will always exist simply because people are people........human nature. Some people will always snub or cling to groups they either don't accept or identify with. The world (real or virtual) is not utopia..........it would be nice but it just ain't that way.

I imagine that this is indeed how it will work. I don't see any reason for LL to expose a user's actual RL age beyond that they are above a certain age or conversly that their age is unverified. Why would a business owner need to know that J. Random Avatar is really 56 years old? All they really need to know is if that avatar is of legal age.

Same for location. A business owner needs only to know if a person is in a jurisdiction where they can legally participate -- they don't need to know down to the street address where someone lives.

NONE OF MY INFO, you have no right, all you need to know is im over 18. Verify that all you want but I don't want ANYONE knowing my phone number, age, gender, marital status. I swear if they put that crap in my profile or ANYWHERE someone who dosent work for Linden Labs can see im gone. I hope they don't ruin this game for me with this crap. Ageplay and casinos, im against it but SL is SECOND life, fake, so do as you wish. I think nothing should be illegal (except for griefing and such activities that have no purpose except to aggravate SL players).

You see in this world I can do things I'd never dream of doing in real life. Building, renting, all kinds of amazing, great stuff. But people don't need to know anything about me, its my right to tell them or not. My position on SL, for all things that have been happening lately is this...

Do as you wish, (if someone dosent like it then they can leave the area/mute/ban you. SIMPLE. Also keep your info to Linden Labs, if you need to verify it then use my credit card info, but don't go poppin it up all over the place. Its not right, in my opinion. If you agree quote this post!!

BR.

are they going to do this?

I don't know, the Linden guy and maker of this post were not specific enough, though it seems its possible.

"the identity authentication system that we’re working on will allow you to verify aspects of your real life identity, such as age, or geo-location. It’s fully opt-in, and our current thinking is it would replace the ‘payment info on file/used’ system of verification."

Ok Roblin Linden said this............But it reads op in or out.....so what the problem? if you don`t want it you don`t you op out!.Right?!?!??!?!? So why the neg thought here. its not by rules we have to do this.right?!

Linden Labs is NOT going to post or reveal any personally identifiable information so other residents can see it WITHOUT explicite and documented permission from the user. That is very much against the laws in the United States and especially in the state of California. Linden Labs in located in San Francisco, CA, USA and they are bound by the laws in those two jurisdictions. I would think anyone would know that...........simple common knowledge. There is no need to be more specific than Robin Linden was in the blog. Why would anyone have to explain in great detail exactly how to close or open a simple door?

I think many are just expressing resistance to having anything that could identify them to authorities (be that Linden Labs, law enforcement, or any such legally responsible group). You can still be your imagined self........do pretty much what you want to do. Only difference is that you (each one of us) can (and will) be responsible for our actions. As it is right now it's way too easy to do anything (and yes that includes illegal things) without any responsibilities. That is NOT good. And that MUST be eliminated to the greatest extent possible.

I wonder what some are so afraid of......it's obvious to me that it's not what they are saying they are afraid of. Either that or some just can't read English (understadable I guess if English is not your native language).

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

Benjamin Franklin, so says Bartleby

Robin Linden has already said, as mentioned numerous times in this thread, that this will be opt-in. You get to maintain your privacy to the level you see fit.

However, I think it's important to keep in mind that in RL there are certain things that you cannot do unless you establish trust and a relationship with another party. I don't know about where you live, but I will guess that unless you provide some sort of identification that there are some things you simply are not allowed to do. It sounds like this will be a way for SL businesses that wish to do so to verify the people with whom they are doing business. If you do not wish to verify limited parts of your identity, for example that you are of at least a certain age, it is their perogative not to engage in business with you. If I ran an adult-only establishment in SL, and you wanted to visit it but did not verify your age, it's fully within my discretion to not allow you access to my establishment. Here in the US, if I wish to go to a RL bar and have a drink, I have to verify to the bar that I am of legal age to do so.

It seems to me that LL is simply bringing to us a way to do what can already be done in the real world. I see nothing in what Robin Linden has mentioned that says that LL will at any time reveal the details that any user provides. Right now, you can see in my profile that I'm marked as "Payment Info Use" but it doesn't show anyone what credit card I used. I imagine that the system will work very similarly, but with just a bit more information -- like what country you're from, and if you are at least a certain age.

I don't get it. As other people have said, I am already verified through my payment details. Why not just make payment information mandatory to use SL? Don't have to charge everyone but ask that they register a credit card as proof of identity.

Also, and I sincerely doubt LL are going in this direction, I don't see any need for the details to be made available to other users, the simple fact that I have provided the required info to LL should be enough to satisfy anyone else. In real life people can't click me to find out my age, nationality, address and so on, if they want to know they have to ak me and take it on faith that I am honest. I don't care about who people might be in RL when I meet them in SL, all I would need to know is that they have met the requirements laid out by LL

And if you don't want this.... it will make you the "No payment info" of the future... with all the harasment that come along with it (as we can face at the moment)?

Morwen.

If that is your choice I suppose that is true.

Yeah.... sure.... The sister-in-law of my grandmother had to wear a yellow star... There was a letter "J" for Jew in it. She didn't make it through WWII.

Human nature... bah.

Morwen.

If you are putting up that argument then it's obvious you don't understand what I'm saying so just leave where it is. Your comparison is not valid.

You know, only out of my principles.... my demand of privacy I will go that way if needed. I have an anual paid account.... I pay 40us$ tier each month... I often buy L$ on my CC...

I will go that way, but be sure I will let everyone know why.

Morwen.

No, you want to mark people.... and yes, my example of the sister-in-law of my grandmother was the worst way it could go.

But you said it yourself already, stand up against and you may be the "no payment info" of the future.

Morwen.

LL already has my name, LL already has my credit card number, LL already has my address, LL already knows where I live and who I am. That's what payment information is all about and other than the few unverifieds who slipped through, all of us on the forums already voluntarily provided LL with that information, so we're already all easily accountable for our actions on SL in RL.

Arguing that anyone on the forums wants to be anonymous to LL is ridiculous, because none of us are when it concerns LL.

I don't need to disclose anything to any other resident that isn't by my own choice. If I do anything that warrants going to court in RL, a simple supoena to LL is all it takes.

If someone's underage, living in the US and wanting to gamble on SL then they'll simply create an unverified account, type an age that's over 18 and pick a country that's allowed to gamble. Meanwhile a verified account might chose not to publically reveal their age and country. Why would the first be more accountable when it's a bunch of lies, where the second simply wants personal information to remain personal on a "who I chose to tell it to" basis, but is an identiefable RL person to LL?

So simply "opt out". You're accoutable for your actions and if need be your information can be had by a legal authority. LL knows that, courts know that.......but I don't. So if I'm in business that requires verification and your opted out..............sorry, I can't do business with you. It's your choice, not mine and not LL's. And if I'm a buyer of a product or service you happen to have and I can't verify that you have provided LL with information that would protect my interests then, again...........sorry, I can't do business with you. Your choice, not mine or LL's.

All pretty simple as far as I'm concerned.