Are escorts next?

Well this is more what I was thinking when Ann mentioned interactive videos. By the way, such activities are usually strictly forbidden.

OMG, I hope not, Ron! Not only are escorts some of the nicest people I've met in SL, I've been looking forward to fulfilling a fantasy by working as one myself, at least for a little while.

/me blushes.


Just as soon as I get over that tendency to blush, that is.

*sings* Dead Hookers aren't much fun

LOL

Huh?

You must be using a different internets than me.

That stuff happens all over.

I was thinking that too...I guess you and I must have the same Internet, Colette.

Yes but that doesn't mean that it isn't strictly forbidden, the fact that it's going on doesn't mean it should be. I'll give you an example from a site that deals with such matters:

"******** forbids obscenity and hardcore pornography"

The main purpose of that site is men and women performing obscenity and hardcore pornography but heck there's a warning that it's forbidden

Where's my "thanks for your gay thread" pic when I need it?

I have no way to check on what you say.

Disclaimers , however are just disclaimers

-Kind of like the Lindens claiming the L$ has no value when the Lindens Actively Broker Linden Dollar Sales and even print some of their own Lindens and sell them. (Supply Linden)

I can send you the link

Its okay I can simply concede your point and it wont matter.

Like I said Disclaimers are just Disclaimers.

The real test would be if someone with authority were to actually attempt to shut down those sites.

If what we're TOLD is true.

I know as many German speakers now as English personally.

Thats also largely the circles you interact with.

Ive been here over 2 years - Ive yet to actually have anyone from germany on my friends list.

SL escorting is erotic literature and defended by the First Ammendment.

But I'd be worried if I owned a Gor sim.

This point drives me insane.

It's incredibly important what is legal in the place where the servers are held and maintained and where there are corporate presences (although the latter is subject somewhat to local law).

Just like the person behind your Avie is a real life human and is governed by local, state, and national law in your place of physical residence for what you do on the internet- so too are there real physical servers and living breathing humans running them and deciding policy. those people (Lindens in this case) are subject to local, state, and national law.

If it is illegal in the place where those Lindens physically exist, they are subject to legal review for the services they provide through the servers they own. Lindens can go to jail. Have their company shut down. Face fines, court cases, and many other nasty legal issues for things that are illegal in the United States and California in particular (given that, if I understand correctly, the majority of servers are in CA). Even if they're not illegal anywhere else in the world. If California (stupidly) passes a law that it's illegal to operate a server on Tuesdays- they *must* shut down servers on Tuesdays or face prosecution. It doesn't matter if everyone else thinks it's idiotic... they must obey the law or face the legal consequences.

Lindens are NOT necessarily subject to the laws of every country from which someone connects to their California based service. If they have a corporate presence, they may be liable *subject to local laws*. If the local laws don't force liability for presence, however, it's free game.

So when people say- it's illegal in the US to do XYZ the appropriate response is *never* but it's not illegal in *some other country*. Linden Labs doesn't care. They are constrained by the laws in the US and their home state and are under no obligation to go to jail, suffer fines, or face a company closure just to provide you with services that aren't illegal where *you* are.

By the flip of the coin, if Linden Labs faces no prosecution for a policy because it is legal in all places where they host servers/people/have presence (remember, subject to local law- not all countries require minimal corporate presence to dictate local laws to the full corporation) then it is the person for whom an activity is illegal and who *does* face prosecution to identify issues and follow local laws.

If Germany passes a law that citizens cannot pay money to American corporations on Tuesdays (again, stupid- but it's a clear example) it is not Linden Labs responsibility to shut down all financial transactions on Tuesdays- or even to forcibly prevent Germans from paying them on Tuesdays. It is the *Germans* responsibility to follow local laws when accessing foreign services.

Now, it's entirely possible for Linden Labs to *choose* to shut down payments on Tuesdays in support of their German customers, or to shut down payments from people with German addresses. They are more than welcome to make concessions to other countries laws without binding them to following *all* laws from that country.

But when it comes down to the line- they cannot, and will not ignore any US federal or state law or face personal prosecution. And frankly ladies and gents- we're not worth jail time to them.

I go away for a few days and when I get back...

Escort services could well be next. Despite all the arguments I see in this thread, and the fact that the adult grid is for "adults only", you have no idea if the escort you just contracted with is of legal age. As a matter of fact this is true for most sexual liasons in SL.

The reverse is also true. The escort could end up with an underage customer.

Even though real sex is not involved, the underage aspect moves this into the realm of criminal activity.

-Jannae ducks for cover

Wow, amazing what SL Gambling withdrawl does to people Equating SLEscorts to RL prostitution is Nonesense.

Using that logic then ALL Adult activities should be disallowed. Do we want to go there?

I wouldn't be so sure, as they want to broaden the appeal of the platform globally I'd say the writing is on the wall, and I don't mean writing such as "get it here Big Boy".

It is an *EXTREMELY* lame argument, and almost certainly one that we'll see repeated hundreds of times in the next month.


.

/me applauds Capella. You are my hero of the day. That should be posted everytime LL makes a legal move here. Well done.

the chicken littles do have a valid point in that the consentual cybersex might involve someone who lied about their age and become a criminal act, when there is a minor involved it is no longer legally consentual. it is illegal (at least in the USA and UK) to talk dirty to a minor wether you knew it was a minor or not. The minor would also be in trouble for lying about their age as everyone on the mature grid has attested to being 18 or older.

The fact that you are paying to talk dirty isn't as big a deal as the actual dirty talking to a minor bit. Without any legal contracts and all that when you pay someone in SL its the same as giving them a gift I asume.

Just putting it up for discussion's sake. However, all adult activities between an adult and minor are not felonious. Cyber sex may very well be. It might be wise to be extremely cautious about who one cybers with.

I think you're all being a bit naive if you think the sex trade isn't going to take a bashing. I'd wager that Gor and violence will be hit first though.