How many others are happy with age verification?

Now don't start getting kinky on us here, Morwen. You and that bite of yours ... lol

Responses are starting to get more interesting

Just wanted to clarify once more - I am not advocating organised religion moving in (although personally I want to see how it would work), I am advocating educational areas devoted to religious themes...there is a big difference, and if you think that teaching people about religion in this day and age is a bad idea than I think you are living with your head in the sand.

We need more discussion, more education, and more understanding between religions (and yes, secularism and atheism are religions in my books). I think that Second Life is a great platform to try and develop new ways to engage and educate people on human experiences that effect us all in one way or another. Hey, I'd even love to see a really well done sex museum...

Don't get rid of anything, I'm not saying that - just personally think we are missing some of the possibilities as of late...not all of us, but the majority.

*points at Morwen*

Mandy C

And Morwen ... when you and I go on trial in SL for biting fingers and other weird behaviour I am gonna blame it all on you. Lol!!

By the way people ...read THE CRUCIBLE by Arthur Miller.

Lol Mandy, don't encourage Morwen. It is getting to be like back row of Sunday School.
Now smarten up!! lol.

Errrrrr ... I think everyone's gone home but us Mandy and Morwen.

Why is it people tend to judge everyone to only be interested in sex, and everybody interested in sex is ONLY interested in sex and not anything else at all?

And I don't see don't see how non-sexual sites would get more visitors from age verification. Either people get their verification and get on with business as usual, which may or may not include sexual sites, or they will leave which actually will get non-sexual sites less visitors. Any kind of added and removed restriction will harm everybody and the opposite as well.

Anyway, I don't mind age verification - but I have three objections about it: 1) They way it seems to be done which potentially will lock out users for up to 6 months 2) Non-verifieds, which includes those under 18, have access to the main grid still - they shouldn't as it is basically opening the doors even wider to minors who has the teen grid - why should they be on the main grid? 3) Even after they try clarifying things, many questions are still open, especially for us outside the US who additionally are not in possetion of the verification means that are mentioned

I have absolutely no problem age verifications. I work in several of the mature night clubs and I'm always amazed how quickly new residents find their way in to our clubs. After brief discussions with them, I often discover that they're under age. I'm in SL to have fun, and as such, I enjoy the adult lifestyle that SL offers. I'm not a paying resident so that I can spend my time screening everyone that walks in to a club in order to avoid a ban.

I hope that when the system is implemented it is very straight forward.. Under 18 or non-Verified.. no TP to the mature sims. Period. Less stress for me, my clients & the Lindens. Win-win.

Scared of identity theft? Go get a state ID if you live in the US. Its just as good for verification systems as a drivers license. Live outside the US? Use your passport. Your passport number is useless to somebody without the physical passport in hand.

Unfortunately, I don't have a choice about what ID banks and other businesses will ask for before providing me (or the person they think is me) with services.

Yeah ... er sure. Can I quote you on that next time I go through Heathrow / Singapore / Sydney ??
And some of us have occupations which prevent us from releasing passport numbers. AND some countries look askance at people handing out their passport number willynilly. I suspect you are from a Eurupean Country and using a EU type identity passport. Many of us are not. I would NEVER risk submitting the type of information many people here feel so free to give away. It would be too awful to think that I have abetted anyone in gaining a foothold in illegal activities. No wonder THE REAL WORLD has security issues ... and I hope that all of you who have given out this kind of information are prepared to answer to authorities IF it does fall in the wrong hands ... "Yes, officer .. I gave out this information to play a game on line ..."

this would be illegal.

I'm rather disappointed that so many people jump on the "religion is bad" bandwagon. I'm not particularly religious myself but I do have the decency to respect the beleifs of others. As for age verification cutting down on cybersex, I hope not. Why? Because I am just as in favour of people expressing themselves sexually as religiously. If neither group impacts me in an unwelcome or unwarranted fashion then I have no business moaning about either.

On topic, I welcome verification but question the means (the as yet unconfirmed details required and 3rd party involvement) and also the end (age verification for only part of an 18+ grid? Tacit acceptance of minors on the adult grid?).

I am truly horrified at the willingness of people to use significant personal information to provide themselves with freedoms in a Virtual World. IF passport numbers and S.I.N #s are so easily given out to ANY PRIVATE company, then you must expect the consequences if and when that information falls into the wrong hands. Trust me folk, you must have led sheltered lives if you think that it is perfectly safe to divulge this type of information as freely as some of you are doing.

For the kind of people who can use that passport number, forging the physical document isn't that hard. The hard bit for them is getting valid data inside it.

For people with the right resources anything is possible.

(paraphrased from Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg.)

You might be disappointed, but are you surprised as well? I'm not - especially since every argument against sex, porn etc can be used against religion. Only difference is, when used against sex it's more widely accepted (even as fact). Basically, religion can be just as dangerous to the young minds as exposure to sex. How else would the world be flooded and basically headed for doomsday due to fanatics ruining everything for the rest of us.

Personally, I'm not against religion and I accept all religions equally - although I have my own personal faith that noone else knows about. Just as I accept that people have different tastes in sex, even those I don't share myself.

There are a couple of thoughts I dare to share (even if it means I'll be put on some death lists, but I'm used to that risk). Given sex is regarded as dangerous to young minds, and is offensive to older minds - and the same applies to religion, both should, to be fair to everyone, be subject to the same rules - as anything else that are/can be regarded as dangerous to young minds/offensive to older minds. But this in it self, as far as how I read the ToS, is against the ToS.

Some find sex in SL offensive - so restrictions are made. What about people who find homosexuality offensive, even when they don't see it in action (i.e. just knowing someone is homosexual) - restrictions? How? I mean, everyone finds SOMETHING offensive - most of us just walk away, and don't feel we need to be protected from it - that would be hell for LL to protect every individual from whatever they may find offensive.

as far as i am concerned, forced church attendance is child abuse.

My freedons are OK, and his freedon is OK as long as his doesn't infringe on mine.

Regarding the thought of, "Unverified's will want to find something else to do, since adult only areas will be inaccessable" (horribly paraphrased)...

I have overheard / engaged in some rather explicit (adult) chat in many areas of SL...some of which were certainly PG sims (well...not me in those sims of course)

I have been privvy to extremely explicit IM's.

...and many times, this explicit behavior is going on between two (or more) residents who appeared to be doing completely innocent things...
"Having coffee"
"shopping"
"dancing" (most common)
"sitting on a park bench"
To name a few...

Since appearance means nothing in SL, I'm going to assume this kind of thing will continue with unverifieds in completely PG areas...

...and if LL is admittedly allowing residents who could very well be under 18 (RL age of course), they're going to need to monitor all chat and IM's to keep an eye on this behavior, for their own benefit (anyone want their IM records displayed in a court of law?)

I don't think age verification is a boon...

You make cybersex sound like it is a terrible thing. You make it sound like all those people populating the nude beaches are suddenly going to have an epiphany and go from running around in their pixel nudity to attending the latest seminar on Aristotle's epistemology. Sure.

But why even concern yourself with what others are doing? If they want to run around a nude area boinking each other virtually, then let be happy. If others want to attend your museums and discuss whether a certain work is derivative or original, then let them. Don't judge, criticize, or condemn. Focus on how you behave.

I can only conclude that you are either a hopeless idealist or you are a virtual fascist. Frankly though, your comments are sounding a bit too much like fascism with a smile.

Nice one Allison! (as we say where I come from)

I think it's just a little Elitism. Wanting to bring art and "culture" to SL is admirable. I am more than willing to visit any resident created attraction as opposed to the garbage that the Corporations will be putting up shortly. Religious attractions are fine too. I am of no particular religion anymore, many religious shrines are wonderful places to see for historical and artistc reasons. Mnay people do have have a knee jerk reaction to the word, and rightly so to an extent. In today's world, religious intolerance is not only thet of being intolerant of those of s different fate, but increasingly tos of no established faith as well. Freedom of Religion should also mean Freedom from Religion. As far as the Sex thing goes, I don't think restricting or eliminating it will cause any great awakening here. Those who are here for primarily puerile interests will leave totally, but those for whom sex is a valuable part of their SL relationships won't all of a sudden decided to get culture. I can even imagine that if perceived smut were stamped out, the SL moralists may turn their sights onto the the art world in regards to obscenity. Maybe with the help of our self appointed media guardians. "Venus DeMilo. Nudity and Dismemberment. The shocking true story".

Sorry, but you may have to flag your church/chapel as containing "adult" content.

"adult content is that which is overtly, graphically, or explicitly sexual in nature or intensely violent."

Any crucifixion scene clearly falls under the heading of "intensely violent", so if you have any crucifixes, into the XXX bin you go.

If Code is God as Phil Linden stated ....


Should we be worshiping Bill Gates or Something on the Grid?

I said it before, but I will repeat it: I am not allowed to transfer any information on my passport to any person or organisation which are not pointed out by the Dutch Government. One US company gathered information about people, doesn't hold the approval of the Dutch Government.

I quote from my passport: "This passport is the propety of the State of The Netherlands. The Bearer of this passport may pass it to a third party only if there is a statutory obligation to do so."

And I was assured this goes for the object "passport", as information in it.

(First I thought I would "be discouraged to". Talking with some law people showed me that I am not allowed to)

Morwen.