Just to be clear. I do not protest age verification in general - I approve. I DO strongly protest the age verification plan Linden Lab is pursuing, which I have lodged my complaints against on the blog and in the forum. I will not bother to do so again.
What I am proposing is that those who believe what Linden Lab is proposing is totally off kilter, put your money where your mouth is. I won't ask others to do what I am doing right now, but I would love to see everyone who plans to refuse to age verify - especially those who plan to sell their land, close their business or leave SL totally - to post right here. Post what you are going to do, specifically, for the record, if SL goes through with this as planned. And mean it! Tell Linden Lab that requiring more information from you to "verify" the impossible than is currently required for a premium account is too much. That their plan is heavily flawed and they need to go back to the drawing board. And if Linden locks this thread, post your own.
As for what I have done/am doing.
* I have sold over 10,000 sq. m. of land at rockbottom prices, way less than I paid for them. Just to get rid of them. On one piece, I had started an Adult business with Adult products (normal ones, not anything very scandal-provoking). On another I was selling Shapes & Skins. On the third, I had a private residence with a few adult objects. Figured I might as well get rid of it all now. Because I wouldn't be able to have any of those things after I refuse to age verify. I was actually starting to make a profit on one of the businesses - too bad.
* I have sold and am selling off my inventory at rockbottom prices. Especially including any and all possible "adult" objects - including beds, pose balls, even skimpy pasties folks and that questionable clothed angel in bondage painting. Can't be too careful you know.
* I am selling my Lindens on LindenX and converting them to cash. I am then Process-crediting that cash to my PayPal account. Last time I tried to do this, I had my account locked and banned and had to argue for 3 days to get it re-opened. We'll see what happens this time. I have removed over $400 in cash from Second Life so far. Not a lot really compared to many - but that's $400 that will not be spent on your products or services - or Linden Lab's.
* As soon as my process credit goes/does not go through, I will be reducing my account to a free basic account. I have already gotten rid of all my tier fees - even less money to Linden Lab.
* I have spent at least $3000 in Second Life (real cash mind you). I will not be spending a penny more until this age verification thing either happens or doesn't. If it happens the way it is planned, I will cancel my account totally. Sorry to all those lovely business owners, I won't be buying any more pretty things from you unless Linden Lab gets a clue that this is a very bad move.
I don't expect others to do these kinds of things before this age verification process even goes through. Why have I done it then? Why have I squandered good land for less than I paid for it? Closed down businesses and lost future sales? Because I can. Because this is and always has been, a game for me. Because I came into this game as a journalist doing a story - and I stayed for the community. But I believe this age verification plan is totally flawed and will lead to the eventual death of the community that I have come to enjoy so much in Second Life - both Adult and non-Adult in nature.
Because I have the flexibility and willingness to sacrifice my virtual "holdings"- to lose money - in order to protest loudly what is going on here - I have and I will continue to do so.
All I ask is that if you truly don't want to see this happen, you speak out and tell Linden Lab you are willing to stop giving them money to prevent a virtual 1984. (In other words, this is not a roleplay game for how to live under the eyes of Big Brother.)
If I am locked, if I am banned, if they take my cash and refuse to process my credits - if I vanish - this is the only possible reason why. So if any of that happens, run for the hills folks, because protest is the only freedom we currently still seem to have left in this virtual world.