Robin we understand that age verification is needed in SL but to use a SSN# is really out of the question as you have read for the majority of us. There must be other ways to do this then to risk our private information being hacked.
Even the U.S. Government doesn't make you use just a SSN# to work here. The I9 form allows you to choose other ways to verify age and and citizenship status. And according to your third party the minimal requirement is Name, DOB, Address and SSN#.
You can say all day long how the third party company will insure our info will be safe but we have heard this many times and then hear how it has been "somehow hacked". :/ If Turbo Tax can mess up and allow everyones information to be accessed online then so can your third party.
We are told to never ever give our SSN# out to anyone not even a perspective employer until hired or unless the job is one that a background check is needed. So I for one have a problem with haveing to give out my SSN# can you please figure out another way or go to plan B?
Welcome to the Second Life Forums Archive
These forums are CLOSED. Please visit the new forums HERE
RE: The Last Four Digits of Your Social Security Number |
|
|
Zazas Oz
Rufeena Fashion Designer
Join date: 22 Jan 2005
Posts: 517
|
05-07-2007 21:40
|
|
Falcon Hesse
Registered User
Join date: 8 Oct 2006
Posts: 20
|
05-07-2007 23:54
No Coco, no requests for clothing sizes.  The point is to make it difficult for minors to participate in inappropriate behavior, and for adults to enter Teen Second Life. Self-asserting age doesn't work, and even Visa says that credit cards are inadequate for verifying age: http://usa.visa.com/merchants/new_acceptance/merchant_responsibility.html We will not sign a contract with a vendor who does not respect and hold similar views to Linden Lab about our customers' privacy. We will, however, make every effort to make sure that we're offering a safe and legal service. Thank you for responding and I apprecate your take on it. You're asking me to trust you, trust your employer and trust the company your employer hires to handle the age verification process. I don't know about your life experience; however, the older I get my trust of people in general has become very limited and trust in corporations does not exist. A problem that definately needed to be addressed; however, you've taken a path of least resistance aproach that's going to change everything. It doesn't make me angry - it does make me sad since nothing about SL (performance wise) over the last 5 months justfies taking any kind of risk to play it. Cash out immediately is my advise to anyone with signficnt investment here. |
|
Warda Kawabata
Amityville Horror
Join date: 4 Nov 2005
Posts: 1,300
|
05-08-2007 00:58
No Coco, no requests for clothing sizes. The point is to make it difficult for minors to participate in inappropriate behavior, and for adults to enter Teen Second Life. Self-asserting age doesn't work, and even Visa says that credit cards are inadequate for verifying age: http://usa.visa.com/merchants/new_acceptance/merchant_responsibility.html We will not sign a contract with a vendor who does not respect and hold similar views to Linden Lab about our customers' privacy (emphasis added). We will, however, make every effort to make sure that we're offering a safe and legal service. Robin, Are you suggesting that LL itself would consider it reasonable to request passport numbers from its customers? I am happy to give billing information to LL, and were I of a mind to sign a contract with Aristotle, I expect I would also give billing information to them. Neither LL nor Aristotle needs my street address, let alone passport details, in order to charge me money. In any case, given EU data protection laws, there is no legal way Aristotle should have any data with which they could check any such submitted passport details against. At least one of my passports isn't even computerized. _____________________
 I rent out land on private islands. Message me in-world for details. |
|
Pal Platini
Bodyart
Join date: 15 Jun 2004
Posts: 108
|
05-08-2007 08:43
******** From "News for Public Officials Newsletter:" 4 numbers that stand between you and your criminal clone Almost everyone living in America today has a Social Security number. But you may not realize that only four digits uniquely identify you as the legitimate owner. Your bank understands this. So does your credit card company. This is why financial institutions ask you to identify yourself on the phone with only four of the nine numbers contained in the government issued number. Identity thieves know this too. They know that with just a phone call and the last four numbers from your SSN, any criminal, from anywhere in the world can take control of your identity. Your nine-digit SSN is composed of three parts, only the last part identifies you. The other two sets of numbers identify the group of people who received their numbers from the same region and at approximately the same time as you. It is ironic that some government officials, while attempting to remove Social Security numbers from records posted on the Internet, often intentionally leave the most critical numbers intact. Your Social Security Number Has Three Parts Area Number The Area Number Prior to 1972, cards were issued in local Social Security offices around the country and the Area Number represented the State in which the card was issued. This did not necessarily have to be the State where the applicant lived, since a person could apply for their card in any Social Security office. Since 1972, when SSA began assigning SSNs and issuing cards centrally from Baltimore, the area number assigned has been based on the ZIP code in the mailing address provided on the application for the original Social Security card. The applicant's mailing address does not have to be the same as their place of residence. Thus, the Area Number does not necessarily represent the State of residence of the applicant, either prior to 1972 or since. Generally, numbers were assigned beginning in the northeast and moving westward. So people on the east coast have the lowest numbers and those on the west coast have the highest numbers. Note: One should not make too much of the "geographical code." It is not meant to be any kind of useable geographical information. The numbering scheme was designed in 1936 (before computers) to make it easier for SSA to store the applications in our files in Baltimore since the files were organized by regions as well as alphabetically. It was really just a bookkeeping device for our own internal use and was never intended to be anything more than that. Group Number Within each area, the group number (middle two (2) digits) range from 01 to 99 but are not assigned in consecutive order. For administrative reasons, group numbers issued first consist of the ODD numbers from 01 through 09 and then EVEN numbers from 10 through 98, within each area number allocated to a State. After all numbers in group 98 of a particular area have been issued, the EVEN Groups 02 through 08 are used, followed by ODD Groups 11 through 99. Source: www.socialsecurity.gov" http://www.davickservices.com/News%20for%20County%20Officials.htm This bears repeating! I have seen a database that has most of my personal information & I have rigorously always maintained my annonymity. Paid extra to be unlisted from phone book, etc. Thankfully the database does not appear to be connected to the typical internet search engines, via my name. You can opt out, but the method is quite a hassle. They do not accept emails. I cannot recall the name of it & think my outlook express self destructed since I got the email that brought it to my attention. My credit report & various companies I do business with already maintain a Fraud Alert flag on me, due to past attempt at identity theft. Dealing with this stuff is beyond maddening. Cleaning up anything from your credit report is a real chore & very time consuming. My online CC recently got cancelled by my bank because of a 2 year old, $20 purchase I made with one of the TJX companies. Is no fun having to go through every online account and changing that info. And I would just hand over one of the main keys to my identity? Not going to happen! I would even be ok if the only repercussion of not verifiying was no access to Adult content. But, the idea of becoming flagged as an unverified citizen of SL, after all this time and money invested, is totally unacceptable to me. PLEASE LL, rethink this! |
|
Cocoanut Koala
Coco's Cottages
Join date: 7 Feb 2005
Posts: 7,903
|
05-08-2007 10:22
I would even be ok if the only repercussion of not verifiying was no access to Adult content. But, the idea of becoming flagged as an unverified citizen of SL, after all this time and money invested, is totally unacceptable to me. Exactly. coco _____________________
|
|
Colette Meiji
Registered User
Join date: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 15,556
|
05-08-2007 10:25
Exactly. coco yeah that is why I couldnt understand them not grandfathering people in that verifed under the old system. Unless they lost or deleted the RL info we set our accounts up with? I seem to remember giving my name, birthday, address and telephone number |
|
Robin Linden
Linden Lifer
Join date: 25 Nov 2002
Posts: 1,224
|
05-08-2007 11:13
Because verifying your age is voluntary, we wouldn't go back and automatically verify it for you.
Please keep in mind this move isn't being made to flag you as being trustworthy or not. It's being made so that minors will not be able to access adult content. That simple. If you have no interest in visiting parcels flagged as 'adult', you don't need to verify. If you do want to, you will need to verify. The only information made available will be "yes" or "no". Your actual age will not be made public. _____________________
|
|
Brenda Connolly
Un United Avatar
Join date: 10 Jan 2007
Posts: 25,000
|
05-08-2007 11:15
Because verifying your age is voluntary, we wouldn't go back and automatically verify it for you. Please keep in mind this move isn't being made to flag you as being trustworthy or not. It's being made so that minors will not be able to access adult content. That simple. If you have no interest in visiting parcels flagged as 'adult', you don't need to verify. If you do want to, you will need to verify. The only information made available will be "yes" or "no". Your actual age will not be made public. Shouldn't it be made to keep minors from accessing the Grid, period? _____________________
Don't you ever try to look behind my eyes. You don't want to know what they have seen.
http://brenda-connolly.blogspot.com |
|
Colette Meiji
Registered User
Join date: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 15,556
|
05-08-2007 11:18
Because verifying your age is voluntary, we wouldn't go back and automatically verify it for you. Please keep in mind this move isn't being made to flag you as being trustworthy or not. It's being made so that minors will not be able to access adult content. That simple. . With Respect - Residents in Secondlife will have their own prejudices based on how verified people are. They already do based on "Payment info on file" So there will be some discriminatory attitudes towards those who are unverifed. However - thats not Linden Labs fault. |
|
Valerie Viking
Registered User
Join date: 2 Mar 2007
Posts: 93
|
05-08-2007 11:20
From Information Week:
Second Life Adding Age Verification. Identity Thieves Celebrate Posted by Mitch Wagner, May 7, 2007 05:37 PM Linden Lab plans in mid-May to introduce age verification systems to Second Life designed to keep kids out of adult areas. It's almost certainly legally necessary, to protect the company and adult content providers in-world from civil and criminal prosecution. But, still, it's a bad idea. It won't stop kids from accessing adult content. And it provides tremendous opportunity for identity thieves, creating a rich store of Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, dates of birth, and other identifying information. When the age verification system goes in place, users -- known in Second Life jargons as "residents" -- will be required to provide a one-time proof of identity, such as driver's license, passport or ID card, to access mature content in Second Life, according to a statement on the Second Life official blog. The measure appears to be a Band-Aid. Any kid with enough rebelliousness to want to access porn behind Mom and Dad's back will likely also have the gumption to borrow their driver's license to do it. Moreover, the repository of identifying information will be a juicy plum for identity thieves. Linden Lab becomes a candidate to join the long, long parade of companies and government agencies that accidently exposed confidential customer data. Linden Lab says it won't store the data after it verifies' a resident's age, but it also says it's using a third-party company -- which it did not identify -- to perform the verification, and Linden Lab didn't say whether the third-party company would store the information. Even if the third party doesn't store the information, the information will be vulnerable to interception in transit between the customer and verification service...... http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2007/05/second_life_add.html;jsessionid=SYMQ5FIZRICTSQSNDLRSKHSCJUNN2JVN?print=true |
|
Colette Meiji
Registered User
Join date: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 15,556
|
05-08-2007 11:22
From Information Week: Second Life Adding Age Verification. Identity Thieves Celebrate Posted by Mitch Wagner, May 7, 2007 05:37 PM Linden Lab plans in mid-May to introduce age verification systems to Second Life designed to keep kids out of adult areas. It's almost certainly legally necessary, to protect the company and adult content providers in-world from civil and criminal prosecution. But, still, it's a bad idea. It won't stop kids from accessing adult content. And it provides tremendous opportunity for identity thieves, creating a rich store of Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, dates of birth, and other identifying information. When the age verification system goes in place, users -- known in Second Life jargons as "residents" -- will be required to provide a one-time proof of identity, such as driver's license, passport or ID card, to access mature content in Second Life, according to a statement on the Second Life official blog. The measure appears to be a Band-Aid. Any kid with enough rebelliousness to want to access porn behind Mom and Dad's back will likely also have the gumption to borrow their driver's license to do it. Moreover, the repository of identifying information will be a juicy plum for identity thieves. Linden Lab becomes a candidate to join the long, long parade of companies and government agencies that accidently exposed confidential customer data. Linden Lab says it won't store the data after it verifies' a resident's age, but it also says it's using a third-party company -- which it did not identify -- to perform the verification, and Linden Lab didn't say whether the third-party company would store the information. Even if the third party doesn't store the information, the information will be vulnerable to interception in transit between the customer and verification service...... http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2007/05/second_life_add.html;jsessionid=SYMQ5FIZRICTSQSNDLRSKHSCJUNN2JVN?print=true This author hardly sounds unbiased either - almost sounds like a Second Life Resident unhappy with Age/identity verification. |
|
Sonia Nagy
Registered User
Join date: 25 Mar 2007
Posts: 364
|
05-08-2007 11:31
While searching the SSA website about the legality of using SSN, but I did notice that the SSA can provide "Proof of Income Letter" from which "You can select the information you would like on it" including age. Not sure how that proof could work, but I'm not giving out my SSN to LL or to the third party.
That's interesting - you can also "Block access to your personal information." Oh and intercepting personal information, note from the SSA website: "SSA is taking all reasonable and proper measures, including encryption, to ensure that your personal information is disclosed only to you. However, the Internet is an open system and there is no absolute guarantee that others will not intercept the personal information you have entered or requested and decrypted. Although this possibility is remote, it does exist." I suppose a private party might have better security than the USA government. Oh, ok, so LL can ask for our SSN: "When am I legally required to provide my Social Security number? Question Must I provide a Social Security number (SSN) to any business or government agency that asks? Answer The Social Security number (SSN) was originally devised to keep an accurate record of each individual’s earnings, and to subsequently monitor benefits paid under the Social Security program. However, use of the SSN as a general identifier has grown to the point where it is the most commonly used and convenient identifier for all types of record-keeping systems in the United States. Specific laws require a person to provide his/her SSN for certain purposes. While we cannot give you a comprehensive list of all situations where an SSN might be required or requested, an SSN is required/requested by: * Internal Revenue Service for tax returns and federal loans * Employers for wage and tax reporting purposes * States for the school lunch program * Banks for monetary transactions * Veterans Administration as a hospital admission number * Department of Labor for workers’ compensation * Department of Education for Student Loans * States to administer any tax, general public assistance, motor vehicle or drivers license law within its jurisdiction * States for child support enforcement * States for commercial driver’s licenses * States for Food Stamps * States for Medicaid * States for Unemployment Compensation * States for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families * U.S. Treasury for U.S. Savings Bonds The Privacy Act regulates the use of SSNs by government agencies. When a Federal, State, or local government agency asks an individual to disclose his or her Social Security number, the Privacy Act requires the agency to inform the person of the following: the statutory or other authority for requesting the information; whether disclosure is mandatory or voluntary; what uses will be made of the information; and the consequences, if any, of failure to provide the information. If a business or other enterprise asks you for your SSN, you can refuse to give it. However, that may mean doing without the purchase or service for which your number was requested. For example, utility companies and other services ask for a Social Security number, but do not need it; they can do a credit check or identify the person in their records by alternative means. Giving your number is voluntary, even when you are asked for the number directly. If requested, you should ask why your number is needed, how your number will be used, what law requires you to give your number and what the consequences are if you refuse. The answers to these questions can help you decide if you want to give your Social Security number. The decision is yours." http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/ssa.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=78&p_created=955482891&p_sid=HPo724Bi&p_accessibility=0&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9MTEyJnBfcHJvZHM9JnBfY2F0cz0wJnBfcHY9JnBfY3Y9JnBfc2VhcmNoX3R5cGU9YW5zd2Vycy5zZWFyY2hfY3B4JnBfcGFnZT0xJnBfc2VhcmNoX3RleHQ9dXNpbmcgU1NOIGZvciBpZGVudGlmaWNhdGlvbg**&p_li=&p_topview=1 Yes, "The decision is yours" and my desision is that I'm not giving out my SSN number, even the last 4 digits. |
|
Valerie Viking
Registered User
Join date: 2 Mar 2007
Posts: 93
|
05-08-2007 11:34
This author hardly sounds unbiased either - almost sounds like a Second Life Resident unhappy with Age/identity verification. Of course he is biased on this issue. He is an internet-savy writer fully cognizant of the risks in giving personal information online. "Mitch started his career at small daily and weekly newpapers, but he gave up the glamor of sitting through four-hour town council meetings and instead joined the computer trade press. Since then, Mitch has worked as a reporter or editor at InternetWeek, Open Systems Today, Unix Today, Computerworld, and InformationWeek, and written for those publications plus the Washington Post, Wired News, Network World, and Software Development Times. As InformationWeek senior online news editor, his responsibilities include helping to compile the home page and newsletters, developing new technologies and products for InformationWeek, and blogging. He lives in San Diego with a cat, who holds him in contempt, and his wife." http://www.informationweek.com/authors/showAuthor.jhtml?authorID=1053 |
|
Valerie Viking
Registered User
Join date: 2 Mar 2007
Posts: 93
|
05-08-2007 11:37
Because verifying your age is voluntary, we wouldn't go back and automatically verify it for you. Please keep in mind this move isn't being made to flag you as being trustworthy or not. It's being made so that minors will not be able to access adult content. That simple. If you have no interest in visiting parcels flagged as 'adult', you don't need to verify. If you do want to, you will need to verify. The only information made available will be "yes" or "no". Your actual age will not be made public. If a resident opts out of the age ID program will his/her profile still show that, for instance, he/she has payment info on file or used? |
|
Colette Meiji
Registered User
Join date: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 15,556
|
05-08-2007 11:37
Of course he is biased on this issue. He is an internet-savy writer fully cognizant of the risks in giving personal information online. "Mitch started his career at small daily and weekly newpapers, but he gave up the glamor of sitting through four-hour town council meetings and instead joined the computer trade press. Since then, Mitch has worked as a reporter or editor at InternetWeek, Open Systems Today, Unix Today, Computerworld, and InformationWeek, and written for those publications plus the Washington Post, Wired News, Network World, and Software Development Times. As InformationWeek senior online news editor, his responsibilities include helping to compile the home page and newsletters, developing new technologies and products for InformationWeek, and blogging. He lives in San Diego with a cat, who holds him in contempt, and his wife." http://www.informationweek.com/authors/showAuthor.jhtml?authorID=1053 It used to be anyway, Journalists Attempted not to editorialize when writing a newstory. Or is this an Op Ed piece? Op Ed Piece isnt news - its just Opinion. I give my opinion daily - I dont count as a news story. __________________________________________ Edit - I had a look - Its not even Opt Ed Its a Blog. So its justa not poster being Posted on this forums - Basically. While some of his points may make sense, It appeared like you were quoting a news article. My mistake - It was a blog. |
|
Valerie Viking
Registered User
Join date: 2 Mar 2007
Posts: 93
|
05-08-2007 11:40
It used to be anyway, Journalists Attempted not to editorialize when writing a newstory. Or is this an Op Ed piece? Op Ed Piece isnt news - its just Opinion. I give my opinion daily - I dont count as a news story. It is what it is - a published opinion of an acknowledged expert in the field- Nothing more. |
|
AWM Mars
Scarey Dude :¬)
Join date: 10 Apr 2004
Posts: 3,398
|
05-09-2007 01:24
Isn't it funny, when the phone rings, someone introduces themselves as representing your bank, telephone company, mobile (cell) phone company etc, and the first thing they ask, is that YOU provide them with answers to 'security' question!!!
They are not allowed under the Data Protection Act to give YOU that information to actually prove who they are, or that they have the details in the first place.. so do you give them the information? HELL NO.... What I do, is give them 3 answers to each question, and ask them to indicate which one is correct. Once I am sure THEY have the correct information to start with, then I am only 50% happier, discussing anything over the phone. Tell me if I am wrong, assuming a minor is using its parents CC to gain access to the 'game', what is stopping them from finding out and using their parents Social Security Number as well? Children aren't stupid.. try depriving them of 'enjoying' their new found 'playground' and they will show you why they grow up into lawyers, bankers, electronic wizards etc... _____________________
*** Politeness is priceless when received, cost nothing to own or give, yet many cannot afford -
Why do you only see typo's AFTER you have clicked submit? ** http://www.wba-advertising.com http://www.nex-core-mm.com http://www.eml-entertainments.com http://www.v-innovate.com |
|
Oryx Tempel
Registered User
Join date: 8 Nov 2006
Posts: 7,663
|
05-09-2007 01:31
Hmmm maybe I should apply for a new Social Security number and then not give it out... I'm starting to feel paranoid.
On that note, from http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10064.html "Your number is confidential Your Social Security number and our records are confidential. We do not give your number to anyone, except when authorized by law. You should be careful about sharing your number with anyone who asks for it (even when you are provided with a benefit or service). " Coming from the horse's mouth...I'd rethink this if I were you, LL... *OMG did I just tell everyone to trust something the government says???* _____________________
|
|
Maximillian Desoto
Max's Landfall Bar & Dock
Join date: 26 Apr 2006
Posts: 323
|
05-09-2007 08:09
Cant say I'm SHOCKED..."Xio Jester" gets mail EVERY DAY...even telemarketers! I have heard this before, and it strikes me as odd. I've been in SL for over a year now, and have never received any e-mail, snail mail or phone calls addressed to my character. What are you doing that has already linked your SL and RL lives? Max |
|
Musicteacher Rampal
Registered User
Join date: 20 Feb 2004
Posts: 824
|
05-09-2007 08:52
Because verifying your age is voluntary, we wouldn't go back and automatically verify it for you. Please keep in mind this move isn't being made to flag you as being trustworthy or not. It's being made so that minors will not be able to access adult content. That simple. If you have no interest in visiting parcels flagged as 'adult', you don't need to verify. If you do want to, you will need to verify. The only information made available will be "yes" or "no". Your actual age will not be made public. I think the problem is that since this verification is replacing the current "payment info used" in the profile and people will be able to disallow unverifieds from their land, adult or not. At least that is what I took from the blog statement. So a premium member with payment info used, if unverified, will then be treated as a freebie basic. That is the flaw! |
|
Colette Meiji
Registered User
Join date: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 15,556
|
05-09-2007 09:34
I think the problem is that since this verification is replacing the current "payment info used" in the profile and people will be able to disallow unverifieds from their land, adult or not. At least that is what I took from the blog statement. So a premium member with payment info used, if unverified, will then be treated as a freebie basic. That is the flaw! Yeah - we will be using our Linden Indoctrinated Payment Info based segregation in a brave new world .. |
|
Krysta Domela
Registered User
Join date: 7 Mar 2005
Posts: 23
|
05-09-2007 10:03
And coco, I totally agree with your statement. I thought I was already verified. I paid with a cc to play SL, have been in SL almost 2 yrs, never caused any problems, started a business over a year ago; and not to mention LL already knows our real names, location, dob, phone numbers etc, that we provided when we signed up. I think maybe some of us should be grandfathered in. Especially us who provided verification years before the opening of free accounts. Is all of this actually just making a 3rd rated type of land in SL? PG, Mature, and now X rated? I'm a little confused as to where you will not be allowed if you choose not to verify by SS number. Is it all mature land, or just mature land marked as "adult content"? What a goofy thing....mature land....marked as "adult content" UG! I dont know I think if LL does decide that this is the way to go, you will see a lot more "PG" islands, and of course those who will not check the "adult content" box on their X rated regions, for fear of losing business. Question: If LL cannot keep up with underage players on the grid now...how are they going to, check every single player's age, go through and remove underage accounts...and keep up with places not properly labeled "adult content"? Sounds to me they are creating more of a problem for themselves instead of just doing the logical thing, and completely removing free accounts, and weeding out the problems we already have. No matter how hard they try...little Johnny/Jenny Smartie Pants, will get ahold of mom or dad's cc, and SS numbers, and they are right back where they started. Xaria I have been here for almost 3 years and agree about being grandfathered in. All this because they made the stupid decision for free accounts. Now the rest of us have to suffer. WTG! They will not be getting any part of my SS# to play a game. A Credit Card is proof enough. Ohh and I love the part to be charged to verify. I am waiting for them to charge us to tp. Listen to your customers LL, before you have none. |
|
Schwanson Schlegel
SL's Tokin' Villain
Join date: 15 Nov 2003
Posts: 2,721
|
05-09-2007 10:25
My SS # is , xxx-xx-8155
_____________________
 |
|
Yumi Murakami
DoIt!AttachTheEarOfACat!
Join date: 27 Sep 2005
Posts: 6,860
|
05-09-2007 10:32
I have been here for almost 3 years and agree about being grandfathered in. All this because they made the stupid decision for free accounts. Now the rest of us have to suffer. WTG! They will not be getting any part of my SS# to play a game. A Credit Card is proof enough. Ohh and I love the part to be charged to verify. I am waiting for them to charge us to tp. Listen to your customers LL, before you have none. AFAIK, they did charge for TP at one point. While telehubs were in effect, there were private services offering direct "TP" (although it wasn't really TP, just fast flight) and those charged a subscription fee. |
|
Dream Resistance
Registered User
Join date: 4 Dec 2005
Posts: 21
|
Info from RL PI
05-09-2007 10:48
Ok, so I'm a real life private investigator working in the US. And when I saw this, my jaw dropped. When my company is hired by an insurance company (yes, we do only legal cases like this, no matrimonial stuff), we get certain info. Basically, address, DOB, and last four SSN. From that, we can find current residences, current phone numbers(and cell numbers), past residences for 10 years, vehicles owned (in some states), credit history, voting registration, THE REST OF THE SSN, and a whole plethora of other interesting info.
Now, for my job this is useful, because I'm tracking criminals. However, no way would I suggest providing this information for a GAME. As seen with the previous security breach, LL's security is not infalible, and alot of people who play this game, actively work to break it. The arguement has been made that LL won't be storing the info, but at some point, to confirm with Integrity, LL will have to have the info, and send the info. Those would be vulnerable times. Underage people on the main grid is a major problem, but enforcement of current rules, and verification of payment info, would both reduce the problem. I'm a free account, but my account is verified via credit card. Should a hacker get that, they can max that credit card, sure, but they won't have my SSN. I can't believe LL thinks this an appropriate action. In the end, a kid who REEEEEEEEEALLY wants to see virtual boobs, will, no matter what measures are in place. Parents exist for a reason, and if they can't do their job, well, then, thats on them. LL can't possibly expect to put something like this in place, potentially putting 2 million users identities at risk. |