Can Chat Talk be Retrieved or Recorded?

I have a question that I have also posted in Helper Thread but no one seems able to answer. Can open conversations be retrieved by OTHER avatars? I do not refer to IM conversations. But I have been told that since Chat is public then the retrieval of such conversations is possible at a later date and is sometimes done by other avatars. Is this possible? I dont want to know how it is done - I just want to know if it can be done.

Yes i think it can be done, its against the TOS ( i think ) but I've heard of people having listening devices that they can place out that records whats being typed within an earshot of it

Since the last major version there has been an option to create a chat log. It is in Edit/Preferences/Communication.

Anybody who has that enabled and is within your chat range can potentially retrieve your conversation.

There are also several scripted "bug" objects that either log or repeat elsewhere everything that has been said on channel 0 (public chat). Although certain uses of these objects can be a ToS violation.

Omg

On a default Windows installation of SL the chat logs are kept in C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR-WINDOWS-ACCOUNT-NAME\Application Data\SecondLife\YOUR-AVATAR-NAME.

It's a bunch of text files with a "txt" extension.

The names appear as follows:

"Group Name.txt" for group chat,
"TheirFirstName TheirLastName.txt" for an IM session with another avatar,
"Calling Cards.txt" if you send out IMs to everyone in your calling cards folder,
"TheirFirstName TheirLastName Conference" if you are in a chat session that someone else started using a folder of calling cards,
and the public chat is "Chat.txt".

I don't know if the records accumulate or if they start over each session. First time I've looked at them.

I would like to know what effect crashing has on the chat logs.

I wish I had logs of the old days back at the Ahern-Morris boardwalk Welcome Area.

And maybe even the time I posed for that calendar.

The logs seem to be updated instantly. I've had times when someone starts an IM with me, and I do a Spotlight search on my Mac to see if I've made a note about them anywhere, and one file pops up - the log of the chat that just started.

Dude, your only way out is to claim that you were role playing.

Otherwise, never commit anything to written form that you aren't will to own if it comes to light.

A search for spy on SLexchange turns up quite a bit . There are a few legitimate chat recorders (they send the transcript through email) that require everyone present to click to indicate consent to have the conversation logged and/or distributed to others that weren't present.

There's no requirement to inform people if you are actually physically present at a conversation. Out of politeness, it is a good idea to, if you intend to post the chat publicly, but there is no actual legal need to.

Remote monitoring of chat _is_ against ToS, and the use of any chat monitor device can get you banned. In some circumstances it's essential (e.g. certain RP environments) but bugs are not on. Unfortunately they are trivially easy to script and no restrictions can be practically placed on them without breaking all sorts of essential functions.

There's no requirement to inform that you're logging anything, but distributing the chat (ie sending it out on notecards on SL) does seem to require consent of everyone involved.

http://secondlife.com/corporate/cs.php

If you do it within SL or on the forums, yes. (In theory; if someone sends a notecard of their chat with you to other people there's not much you can do about it in practice.)

And remember, forging ASCII text has been proven to be impossible.

There use to be an old web site called "Worst of the Web", I think it was, which displayed a slogan something like "Truly a waste of electrons."

For some reason the topic of Second Life chat logs brings that slogan to mind.

99% of the chat logs saved on my computer, are worthless drivel. Mostly green text spouted by some casino machine, or some broken script calling for it's mommy.

I go like the IM logs though, it's kinda nice to know with a fair amount of reliability that someone is emailing me for the first time, or being able to scroll back and see what was last discussed between us. It helps greatly in terms of the old "and who are you again?" issue.

I have seen chat relays used in shops.. still a bit on the grey line of TOS violations, and probably over the line really.. but I know of several places that have them installed in the hopes of catching would-be theives, and/or offering instant, drop-in paratechsupport.

MOstly though, what I've seen is "Chat Range Extenders" things that can allow you to hear what's going on, say, at your camera's position. Fairly useful if you have a little droid that follows your camera. There, the use is a bit less clear in terms of acceptability. I'd still err on the side of caution when using such technology, but I've seen it used benignly.

That said, I've also seen it used malevolently. Usually by the most paranoid and hateful people.

Unfortunately, it's very easy to link a string generated by a llListen to a llInstantMessage or llOwnerSay.

But, since LL is getting out of the business of Community Policing.. I don't expect we'll see these technologies going away any time soon.

One things is good, at least IMs cannot be overheard, for the most part (with the exception of course, of Lindens). If you want "True" privacy.. don't do it on SL.. or better yet, don't do it online at all. The Government can read your emails and listen in on your phone conversations.. and it's true, your house might be bugged. They're probably opening your mail too.

I hear that the CIA, in conjunction with their Evil Alien Masters, have technology that can read your thoughts.. but you can stop it with tinfoil I'm told.