Goodbye World -I want to get off???

I am surprised that so few people are commenting on this initiative by SL to verify age. I am hesitant about providing personal information to an unknown "Third Party." Yes, I provide Credit Card information. BUT a credit card can be cancelled when it is compromised. Passports, Driver Licences, even social insurance numbers cannot be cancelled. I like my privacy.
NO ONE (unless they are truly naive) is going to provide personal information of this nature to a company. Companies cannot demand age information from prospective employees - it is discriminatory.
No - this one worries me. 1984? Fahrenheit 351? Tron? Mmmm, we are living in a world of our own making and we are imitating all the mistakes of the world we left to come here.
I predict many will leave, their places will be taken up by blander, quieter, more family oriented avitars. Where I once played freely and wonderfully with lovers and rascals will become a sandbox for a family outing and no one will remember the SL of old. Oh sorry - did I say family??? I meant an over-18 family outing.

As if WoW, GuildWars, EQ, and countless other MMORPG's don't require billing information? No, LL was hopelessly naive when they dropped the age verification and billing information as part of the sign-up process. Re-instituting some form of ID check at the point-of-entry will be a slow and painful process but it has to happen.... for everyone's good. As for it turning into a bland 'family-oriented' environment, try playing Sociolotron without providing age & billing info.

I am too tired to argue with you. Go ahead - give them what they want. Don't be surprised if "THEM" lose it (or abuse it).

Employers are required to verify that their employees are 1)the legal employable age for regular jobs 2) of legal age should the job involve serving alcohol etc.

So no, it's not some scary zOMG 1984, it's reality.

The main grid has always been for those 18 and above, period.

Yeh, I know only too well about LL'd track record with personal data.

Different from you booking a room at a romantic Inn and giving the clerk your credit info how? Different from my Paypal account being compromised how? Different from any purchase you make online how?

In the UK these days, its pretty much impossible to find work without showing a passport, birth certificate, or driving licence. Passport is preferred too, sice that showsyou are legal to work in terms of work permits.

Having said that, verifying my age with such documents is not something I have any intention of doing, since they can so easily be used for identity theft, and frankly, I don't like what I've seen of US data protection/privacy laws.

Plus I don't feel any particular urge to frequent adult locations in SL.

...and if you check into a hotel abroad they take your passport details too don't forget.

I'm not at all worried simply for the fact that I don't hold a passport, drivers license, credit card or social security number (outside US).
If the grid gets locked off, I'll withdraw my money and leave, no point worrying about a game.

451

My I just point out this paragraph for emphasis?

What personal information will you store about me?
Linden Lab will not store any personally identifying information about you as a result of the age verification process. We simply record that your avatar is age-verified.

"As if WoW, GuildWars, EQ, and countless other MMORPG's don't require billing information?"

WoW has my billing information. It's called a credit card. The same one LL has......

1) Your quote says that LL won't store any personally identifying info. It doesn't say that the 3rd party won't.

2) Even if not stored, the information will be "broadcast" over the internet and is open game for hackers.

3) I have been heavily involved with the internet for a very long time and I HAVE NEVER BEEN REQUIRED TO GIVE ANYONE MY SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER.

THIS SUX.


.

Can't speak about what aristotle does or does not do with the data. I don't know. I do know that they're not some basement shop operating some secret underground ID Theft. The service is used by major corporations such as Anheuser-Busch.

The query will most assuredly be sent via SSL, protecting it from prying eyes in the same way your credit card and other information is protected when you make online purchases. It will by no means be open game for hackers.

You will only need to provide the last 4 digits of your SSN, along with your name and address. The information will be used to verify your age, using a US Government issued database.

This is a whole lot of nothing.

Just another random passing thought:

If you REALLy want something to be scared about, read the PATRIOT Act one day.

Enron wasn't a basement shop either.

And all Second Life users know that credit card information is never compromised.

Only if you're American. If not, you have to provide far more sensitive documentation (with a company not covered by the jurisdiction of our own countries; a company we've never heard of) than that.

Again, this doesn't apply to Second Life users outside the US, of which there are many.

I realize all of that. My response was directed to someone concerned that they would have to disclose their SSN in its entirety, the implication of which was that they are a US citizen.

i will just withdraw my L$ and quit... bye

You do realize that this is optional, right? You don't have to do it.

Well, we have the usual apologists and the usual dissenters - and the usual rather smug slaps on wrists from the apologists to the dissenters BUT whatever our opinion (yes 451 but it was 2 in the morning for me - and at least I have read the book) it boils down to the fact that for people in many parts of the world private information is PRIVATE. I am sure my partner will leave SL over this. I will not prevent him from doing so. SL will lose people who support freedom and who actually actively protect and defend our intellectual freedoms in the real world (like myself and my partner) in the real world. And all because some kids have slipped through the net and been spotted in a bar drinking cartoon gin and watching cartoon girls do a cartoon strip; have you been watching cable TV in the past 20 years??

hackers arent what im concerned about. its actually the fact that i think this is part of a marketing/data mining outfit and i want no part of it.
and if you need to supply only the last 4 digits of your ssn that implies they already know your ssn, and thats how they identify you. fucking creepy.

If you don't want to "super-verify", you don't have to. Linden Lab has no obligation to allow you to visit "adult" sections of SL, if you decide to not follow their policies.

I don't have any "adult" material on my land, so I have not applied the new "My parcel has Mature Content" flag, thus this change will not affect my guests. It will rather depend on the types of IDs they'll accept for UK-based SLers, if I choose to super-verify myself or not.

A very large amount of mature-content locations already require Payment Info Used, to help protect their asses (figuratively and literally) from potential charges of showing naughty pixels to small children. If they decide that they don't like LL's inevitable party line that it's "for their own good", then they'll either have to stop being "adult content" or leave.

Building / creating in SL has always come with the risk that policy or feature-set changes will not work in your favour.

im interested to see how you feel once your 'liability aware' neighbours start putting up restricted areas. thats when you pg area becomes a mature area around you. i cant wait to see what you think about it then.

Dudes, it is illegal for LL to ask for a Social Security number. Check your local attorney General's website.

According to the Colorado State Attorney General's website (http://www.ago.state.co.us/idtheft/ssn.cfm) the only organizations that may request a Social Security Number include: employers, governmental organizations, banks / financial institutions or licensing agencies. I do not believe that LL fits any of these exceptions.

It really bothers me that in this time of rampant identity theft that LL is asking for a Social Security Number as one of the identifier items (as well as licenses, passports, etc. that can be used for identity theft). Even with their verbal assurances LL cannot maintain that such information is safe as LL has been hacked in the past, allowing personal information to be leaked as have governmental agencies, banks and merchants.