Age Verification Answers

Integrity has access to public records in over 150 countries, including Europe, according to the company's website. They do age verification in all those countries. Check out http://integrity.aristotle.com

Apparently no, they didn't do all that. At least for someone who claims in verification process to be located outside of US, but then everyone can do that...

so if it is possible for them to verify with name, zip, and dob....why require anything more?

Where did LL say that it was Aristotle that would be verifying the age? It's not in the origional blog entry. Just curious.

First check out their main Web site that talks about Super Voter Lists and the like. http://www.aristotle.com Are you so sure they are not selling your information? They just verified that you are alive and living at that residence.

I am also amazed that driving license data is public records. My god what more does one need on a person. Or is is special deal for certain companies.

They offer no real assurances that your data will be purged because they do not have to. You are on the voter's roll. Public Records and all. So they have right to keep all they want on you no? And I am sure they are not interested in your CC number but they are interested in building up a picture on you that they can sell off.

Now a minor is not going to care that Identy Theft of grand pa or some like person ID is a serious crime. Hell they happily use the CC. So this is no more of a check than what they already have. I thought this was about protecing the kids.

I also read that it depends on the client as to what they want. Goes all the way up to iris scan. So what BudTV did is not what Linden Labs may do and their blog talks about a whole lot more.

We will have to pay for it. On top of what we already pay and get tagged in the process by a nifty database and possibly have to give them faxes of passports and the like as they say in the SL Blog.

So what is the reason for this?

Does it protect against underage kids getting in?

How about protecting Lindens legally and making some money?

You want to pay for this why?

And no it was not easy I don't fit their databases. No records for UK, Thailand or HK. So Fax in your identity!!

(Update: it was letters in a zip code that set it off. Change the zip to 01234 works.)

But bob franken from zip code 01342 and birthdate 07/06/1964 worked. I made it up and it worked. So I guess there is a Bob Franken at that zip who born on that date. Damn I lucky.

Try it out https://www.bud.tv/

This is to protect Kids? We paying for what?

My god budTV is totaly insecure. I can use any name any date as log as it is above 21 and any zip and it passes through the system.

So it is not checking anything except that your date of birth makes you 21. OOO now was a hard script to write.

Now that is interesting.

It would make no sense for Secondlife to use this system - We already have that.

So presumably the Age Check service has other systems available.

Some has gotten way tighter - the latest child protection racket requires you to go to the post office and get a dongle for your computer, and show them your documents.

Yes, that's right, to the postal clerk.

In much of Europe, just checking your passport isnt enough anymore. Can you imagine people getting a dongle just to play SL? I think not

That depends on whether or not the dongle dangles.

whats a dongle? lol

It's a USB stick, containing all your identifying information. (at least the age verification device currently now in use - and not by Aristotle, they're not even known in my country, and their system of passport ID has already been thrown out by the courts here)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dongle is a more general definition

Would you mind to explain of what "much of Europe" you are talking. For most certainly not the "much of Europe" I know.

Morwen.

German speaking countries.

I just asked a friend from Switzerland on MSN. He told me any official document (approved by the government), being driving license, passport, ID card is enough to verify your age.

Pretty much as over here in The Netherlands...

And just to be precise, "much of Europe" is not speaking German as main langauge.

Edit: And just a friend from Berlin confirmed the same.

Morwen.

My only real concern is if i will be able to access my own sims, sims i estate manage, or sims i live in if i don't give LL my social security number... i just think they went too extreme here...

One thing I will say is LL has maintained it's excellent tradition of making announcements that are half baked, full of questions, and do it on a weekend so no one can answer the questions.. This is about money folks. The Corps want it for legal reasons yes, but also to get as much info on us so they can try to sell us their crap in world. Their sims should be flagged. I find them more offensive than seeing two Avi's doing the nasty.

I am a little unclear on what Verifying Ananomously means.Does that imply your info will be available to residents if you don't verify anonomously?

Knowing LL they're gonna go ahead with this anyway. When in the last year have they paid attention to the people who pay their wage? Even when the 4k+ signed public letter went out, they simply ignored it. Don't care what was said at the THM. Nothing has changed.

Sooo, if they do go through it, the company they use to attempt to prove age isnt getting any details from me but as I work possibly 5mins walk from the UK office, I'll simply walk down there on my lunch break at work and they can verify me that way Anyone got any messages they want passed on face to face with a Linden?

You actually bring up a good point.

What if Linden Labs would offer to additionally verify you directly - in a much slower - and costlier service

Say $10 US and you snail mail them a ceritified letter with a copy of your birth certificate and drivers licence? Or a photocopy of you signing a credit card receipt for alcohol =p

Or as Growdile suggested - in person.

This would remove the Third party out of things.

A friend just verified using the Integrity system on Bud.tv...using his SL ID, a fabricated birthdate and a random postcode from outback Australia. No problems.

I am sure LL will use a much more rigorous age check protocol.

They've said they will use some sort of combination of Passport, Driver license and Social Security Number. That's where the objections arise. I'll give em my Name, Birthday and Zip Code. But that other stuff.......

BTW Great Location, Vonn.

Maybe LL won't use a more rigorous check.... as the fact that they use this Integrity service will free them (and SL citizens) from being liable for anything. LL doesn't care if it actually works or not, as long as Integrity promises that it works, then LL and SL citizens butts are covered.

Are you sure about that? Trying anything but a valid US zip code spits out the error that it's not a valid zipcode. Once you have a valid zipcode, it goes off looking for official documents to verify against.

I was however able to register as Mr Lawrence Page of California (google anyone?) using freely available public information

Everyone concerned about the privacy implications of this system are about two decades too late. I don't think the age verification system that has been referenced does anything more than any skip-tracing services that debt collectors and private investigators have used for years. Actually, it looks like this system doesn't have access to any more information about anyone than I have access to. The only difference is that I need to manually type in names that I want to investigate, while this thing does it automatically.

My favorite part of the blog entry is that Linden Labs is not going to define what explicit sex and violence is- because they trust that "common sense" will prevail. It's a good thing that the blogs are test only and have no voice system, because no one could have said that out loud without breaking into laughter.

I think the verification would be a good thing, if it were part of a serious attempt to shield minors from pornography. However, the only reason for it is to attempt to absolve Linden Labs from responsibility for Second Life. Hey, they just make money from it, they aren't responsible for it. If they really were concerned about minors accessing "adult" content, they would tell us what "adult" content is. As Colette already put it, this is Linden Labs's way of saying, it's your fault, not our fault.

Plus, by putting in an extra charge for age verification, Linden Labs can start shedding some of those free accounts that use resources without paying money. They can still advertise "free" accounts, however- what you pay goes to the optional age verification system. Getting a Second Life account is now like buying a car. The advertised price doesn't include the undercoating.

Does anyone know where I can buy a habit? I'm going to avoid the whole issue by taking a vow of celebacy and becoming SL's very own flying nun however the latex suit I have just now might be a tad inappropriate...