are the flood gates open now?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/01/AR2007060102671.html

what do you think of this posted yesterday?
the floodgates are open now it seems,


and this statement?
"Philip Rosedale, the founder and chief executive of Linden Labs, said in an interview that Second Life activities should be governed by real-life laws for the time being. He recounted, for example, that his company has called in the FBI several times, most recently this spring to ensure that Second Life's virtual casinos complied with U.S. law. Federal investigators created their own avatars and toured the site, he said.

In coming months, his company plans to disperse tens of thousands of computer servers from California and Texas to countries around the world in order to improve the site's performance. Also, he said, this will make activities on those servers subject to laws of the host countries.

Rosedale said he hopes participants in Second Life eventually develop their own virtual legal code and justice system.

"In the ideal case, the people who are in Second Life should think of themselves as citizens of this new place and not citizens of their countries," he said."

edited for spelling

I think its not really what it seems like. Countrys see the money flowing through SL and want to find a way to tax it so they demonize it to the public. Heck it works and when its hits SL I hope most people have thier cash outa here lol

The tax man cometh with a clipboard and baseball bat

As long as Second Life remains popular and continues to grow worldwide it will be more and more scrutinized by the press. So, yeah, the "flood gates" may just have opened up. And it's up to us be make that scrutinity by the press a positive look for the world to see.

Common sense would help immensely in how we conduct ourselves in world to protray what 95% of SL is really about. But when we can't even read a blog post without tearing apart every word and putting up unreasonable demands or pointing out possible scenarios where LL could abuse us (most of which are really bazaar), we will continue to be seen in a negative way. Rules (laws, if you want to call it that) are coming........it has to come and we will have to abide by those laws whether we like it or not if we want to remain.

Phillip Rosedales pipe dream of us governing ourselves made me laugh. That is never going to happen. Too many people have selfish interests to compromise on even the smallest of inconveniences. Things like "why do I have to verify who I am?" Or "I'm an adult and will do as a please". Rules (laws) are coming.

But we will still be news worthy.............I just wish it could be positive news. But that's my "pipe dream".

If he wants us to develop our own system of laws, then we will need our own government. Wouldn't it be interesting to have a Second Life nation? A REAL Constitution? Wow, the mind boggles at the intricacies...

It boggles the mind at how freaking confusing it is. "No, we're going to dictate to you." But wait "We want you to design your own laws and police yourselves." Finally it's "Police yourselves under very vague community standards we made."

I really won't be considering SL to be my country rather than my own country.

I think those comments were megalomaniacal.

coco

I understand people getting so upset when things they feel passionately about are coming under scrutiny, but lets get real for a minute folks. LL is a business, that is getting more and more exposure, and they have to be real about their liabilities. They are trying to cover themselves from a legal and financial standpoint, and any one of you in the same position would do the same. It is easy to cry about "freedom of speech" when all you have at stake is a game or at most a few hundred dollars of involvement. I understand there are a very few who have somewhat more at stake, but not to the extent that LL does. Put yourself in the hot seat, that if any meaningful action, either legal or financial, were to come down that it could cost you years of work, possibly millions of dollars, the welfare of all your employs, the interests of those who trusted and invested in you, and the demise of your dream. I know what I would do, and most probably what all of you would do also, and that is cover your butt while trying to keep as close to your original dream as possible.

I think this is what Philip is doing, whether too late or not enough, whether too little or too much... At least they are still trying to keep things in the hands of the citizenry as much as possible. The challenge, since it has been put on our plate now, is how well we can police ourselves.

I think that careful investigation and thoughtful deliberation will prevail on the part of LL. The term "Broadly" indicates to me that one person AR'ing something would indicate a narrow view. Many folks reporting the same thing begins to cast a broader view of the communities feelings. I am hoping this is the way things will be interpreted on the part of the Lindens. Nevertheless, you cannot fault anyone for trying to protect what they have created and to protect their own livelihood and that of their colleagues.

Me either. I'm an American and I have enough political crap to mull over in RL. Not going to do it in SL too.

Yeah, I'm with you on the megalomaniacal. All bluster

I really want to know how someone can actually be raped in SL? You have to voluntarily click on a pose ball to be in the position, you can mute anyone sending "rape" type conversation to you, you can TP away, you can log off...How can someone be raped? Seems the outcome of that investigation would be pretty clear-cut.

In this case it is very clear that more is not better, the SL world was much more free and enjoyable before one had to be afraid of being banned for having sex in private...

IMO:

Resident made laws - not any time soon
Resident run law enforcement - not any time soon
Me as a citizen of SL - laughable
A ton more sanitization - just around the corner

On a positive note though, it would be fine if being on a server in country X meant that activity there wasn't subject to any of the laws of the other countries other servers are in. On a negative note though, I suspect that in reality, activity anywhere will be subject to the laws of all countries servers are in. (LL: please pick good countries!)

Here we go again. Injecting opinions on a subject that you really have not given much thought to except that you think it's wrong. It's not about the physical act of rape in SL. It's about the depiction of it..............and that depiction could (and likely is) illegal in some countries. It's a real law that a responsible company must abide by. It's not about you.......it's about SL.

This is why we can never "govern" ourselves. Too many with selfish interests.

The kicker that got me is he's putting tens of thousands of servers in other countries to help be governed by their law...

If they are really truely serious about this and those servers are connected to the main grid, there better be big huge notices when you enter one of those servers that its' governed by another nation's laws and which one.

People screamed about anarchy when their was lesser rules and we were allowed to do almost anything, if the above happens wait till you start stepping into sims and being in violation of another countries law without even knowing it.


As for us making our own laws, judicial system etc, um yeah thats a bit bigheaded and wont happen anytime very soon hehe.

And the fact is that LL will not get involved in a debate about whether or not they think it is "right" or "wrong," or whether it is "harmful" or "harmless." The fact remains that they have significant interests to protect and they will do what they need to do to protect them. Anyone else whose own personal assets were at risk would do the same thing.

please do not accuse people of not gving the subject thought. anyone could say the same thing to you despite the fact that numerous people have replied to your posts explaining in depth their positions

Whatever.........

You will loose though............SL is going to do what needs to be done. Not what you want done.

Guess I better get off this thread now since you showed up to "stalk' me.

And this would differ from RL exactly how?

Us governing SL would never happen anyway. I'd love to see that; elected in-world officials, police forces, military forces. Hell, we could even clearly define each sim as it's own "country" and wage wars too, and really make it like real life.

I'd love to see Goreans go to war with furries

Seriously, SL would turn into a Dystopia in a heartbeat and Peggy is right partly. We never will govern ourselves in-world. It just doesn't work that way, but not because of people's butting opinions. Because SL is the property of Linden Labs, and they will ALWAYS run SL as they see fit.

She is wrong that people are not reading and understand the issues at hand, though.

Representative republic..............it's worked or over 200 years. Think we could find enough common ground to "elect" a congress?

I don't.............too childish here

Why Phil What are we going to do tommorrow night?

Narf

We haven't had a representative republic since 1865.
Good Lord, who wants elected representatives to find common ground. I want them to squabble, bicker and fight and never accomplish anything, freedom stays safer that way.
God bless gridlock.

Anyway, could you only imagine the roar of the crowd if they suddenly found out they had to LISTEN to what another player tells them to do?

I don't think it's the self-interests that prevent government - it's lack of accountability. Residents just don't have the power to affect each other in a significant enough way to provide real deterrents to negative or illegal actions. Laws without law enforcement are useless.

Exactly! All residents are equal until they pull out their griefer tools.

oh im not allowed to read or respond to any of the threads that im passionate about now because you are posting on them too? There is that paranoia again Peggy and the same condescending smile. puke.

Which ones?

LL is incorporated in the US, which has no law against the depiction of rape.