Since I’ve heard the same question and concerns so many times in the past days I had to do what we usually hate to do: to read official Linden’s blog carefully. The main problem is about what will be considered necessary to access the new adult continent officially named Ursula, or as residents like to call it – Pornsylvania. The answer is: Yes, payment info does count. I am not sure if that means payment info on file or payment info used, but credit card does make you adult in the eyes of Linden Lab, check F.A.Q. fourth question if you don’t believe me. You don’t have to give your data to Aristotle or some other dubious company.
Which is reasonable, after all. Linden lab has no direct interest in you giving your data to Aristotle. But they are interested in you pulling out your credit card. That’s the first step for you to buy some L$ which makes the Linden biz running. We all know that, we all enjoy that. Only problem is that they don’t scream that verification-via-payment-info loud enough. Nobody needs more drama than we have already.
One thing that is striking me is that so many residents feels like Lindens are working against them. Which I might find understandable. There were some bad and not so tactful moves in the past. But in this case… it’s not about Lindens. They want all this less than we do. It cost them money and makes them additional work. But they have to do it. Sure they don’t want to be sued. Nor do we. But there are some freaks in this world that don’t find nakedness natural and never find sex beautiful and divine. And those poor sick bastards will use any force of law to ruin other people’s fun if they can’t have some themselves. So please, know your enemy.
The biggest problem about all this will be the definition of what "adult" is. Sure, sims aimed for explicit sexual role-play, Xcite! stores and similar are the easy case. They will be on the new continent and flagged as adult. And they will be free from prudes and "ur hawt, let’s sex" noobs. They’ll most probably profit from that because of the targeted surroundings. It will be bad for creators and resellers of low-quality content, as the competition will be in the walking distance. But I can’t shed a tear for the bankruptcy of resellers of freebie cocks. But what will happen with "gray areas"?
One thing that is mentioned in Linden’s F.A.Q. as adult is photorealistic nudity? What everybody is interested in is whether that includes skins? It would be simply dumb to have all the skin stores on Pornsylvania. That would completely counter the idea of having designated adult area, right? Solution might be to blur or cover some bits of skin photos on the vendors, but does anybody buys the skin without checking those bits? I doubt. And hopefully Lindens know that too.
One more question that is often heard is how nudity in own home will be treated? Will people will be allowed to be naked in their own homes or have erotic art hanging on their walls? Will having sex on own bed in own home will be considered abuse of the ToS? I don’t know. Probably nobody knows. But, if somebody fills abuse report against me because of that, be sure I’ll do the same because of breaking my privacy. And I want you to do the same. Sorting the content geographicaly is one thing, peeking through the curtains to enforce one’s ideas over the whole world is another. I love my world to be free.
I will not deny that considering payment info as validation is a relief for me, but even understanding the legal problems LL has to face, I still have a lot of doubts about the new land.
There are a huge lot of places that fall under the adult label without any doubt. That business will necesarily move to the new continent; even if private islands can be defined as adult, that would be the end of mixed PG/adult shops, since no PG seller will want to limit their customers.
So, we are going to face a huge movement of land owners to the new adult continent, owners who once "buyed" their land. The right thing for LL to do would be exchanging those plots for new, adult ones, but without falling in the conspiration theory, I can give you ten to one that it will not happen.
As I said, I understand the need of LL to cover their backs; but I also think they aren’t too carefully about how they do it. Lets wait a bit and see what happens with the land.
Oh, and I love your idea of filling back an abuse report about privacy breaking, but simply having that kind of poseballs, where any "wandering kid" will be able to reach them, mmm… sounds a bit naughty to be approved.
Maybe ignored, as so many things?
Any wandering kid might reach the poseballs inside somebody’s bed. But kids should learn that it is not nice, and in most of the countries in the world is considered a crime, to get inside somebody’s house. Question of people entering other people’s houses iSL is an old one. And a tough one. Some people don’t mind, some people do. But hey, if you are going to enter my house and then complain about what you found inside… well, that is not going to be.
It is true that land switch might be a huge issue. Lindens haven’t told much, if anything, about the process. I guess that is the biggest issue in the whole affair. Hopefully, they realize that screwing up that part might be worse than OpenSpace debacle.
I think the only reason anyone would go inside another Resident’s house, then complain about what’s inside, is *more than likely* trying to force some social or religious view. If they want to do that, then they should expect to be kicked and banned. If they moan about that, then tough.
Now, about the land issues. I think an ideal way of handling this would be to swap the parcel on a 1:1 basis if it’s possible. Will they do it? I don’t know.
Still, recent information given by the Lindens regarding the changes seem to be written in Lindenese, leaving me feeling like someone who needs a translator to make sense of all of it. Will it get better? I doubt it, unless the Doc Team can help decipher it.
Linden Labs says that private homes don’t fall under these rules. From their own FAQ (as of March 12)
-- What about adult activity in private on the mainland? e.g. Is Linden Lab making rules about what I can do in my own house on the Mainland?
Nope. We are talking about public behavior and events, businesses and listings that are meant to drive explicit sexual and violent activity.
It also says:
– What about objects/avatars/groups that some consider inherently related to specific sexual activities or preferences – e.g. furries, sexy clothing, etc. – will that be considered ‘Adult content’?
We’re still working on tight definitions (which we’d like your help with) on what is considered Adult, but in general sexy clothing, skins, and furries aren’t inherently explicitly sexual, and stay in the Mature areas (i.e. won’t need to move to the Adult continent).
Obviously Linden Labs can change their mind, but as of everything I’ve read the changes are not directed at what people do in their homes.
Beatrix’s comment makes all this innecesary, it is obvious now that private homes are covered, if not against invasion, against being dennounced by their contents.
But dande, while childs should know not to wander into private homes, they also should keep themselves from straying into places that identify themselves as adult.
What I was discussing wasn’t the logic of it *srughs*, but the "law" of it. Once you start covering about the second, there is little hope to be covered against the first. Of course, knowing sex in private is allowed (oh dear, and also naughty clothes and furries :-p) by the TOS, at least by now, makes me feel much at ease.
Btw, is the right of privacity for land owners covered on the TOS? I am really asking, have no idea of the answer :-p.
beatrix, thanks a lot! It’s good to know this.
London, yuo’re right, kids (and everybody else) should be able to keep themselves out of the content they don’t like. As the story goes, Pornsylvania is been made so they have easier job doing so. So let them be. Now they will know when there’s a danger of flashing of some deadly boobs.
Jaymes, land swapping is an issue that is most problematic in all this. I don’t even want to start about it.
Good thots in general! Note also that the most recent definition of “Adult” includes “illicit drug use”. Would be interested in your thoughts on that bit. :)
http://daleinnis.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/what-are-they-smoking/
I also find it very weird that they would publish a definition that clearly includes X, Y, and Z as Adult, and then say in the FAQs and the forums “X, Y, and Z won’t be counted as ‘Adult’”. Why not have the definition actually reflect what they plan to enforce, rather than having a much broader definition, and then in another place list some random-looking exceptions to it? Very weird!
You mean because I grow a couple of plants at the entrance of the bar? *grins*
Those plants are going to stay. And I plan a peyote too! Yes, I will write that too.
I have no problem with the concept of an adult continent that allows more liberal advertising and tighter verification controls but I have big issues with forced relocation, Linden doublespeak and ignoring the issues of mixed use estate land, absolutely no help is being offered for displaced estate tenants.
Then we have issues of Linden Lab actually being able to define anything, recently they changed the rules on PG to say that social references to alcohol were mature content, they’re currently changing their mind on that and erasing the updated PG definition.
Yeah, I would *love* to know what’s driving all the changes to the definitions (alcohol is Mature oh wait no it isn’t; Adult is just sex, I mean sex and violence, that is sex and violence and drugs). Is it their own instincts, their guesses as to what will frighten business customers, or something more secret and involving lawyers and/or governments? We’ll probably never know, sigh…
@Dale
The Lindens did say that there was no outside pressure which caused these changes. Even though they say that, I doubt they’re telling the truth on it.
What I think would help is if they were completely honest with Residents, although I can’t really see that happening anytime soon.
@Ciaran
I share your concerns too. They seem to change their minds every few seconds, which doesn’t help at all.
I find those changes and shifts completely natural and expected. Lindens know, as we do, that it’s not possible to make clear lines between types of content. many organizations are trying to do that for decades. Good thing is that actually there is no need for clean, sharp edges. We’re not dealing with science here, we’re dealing with possibility to step on someone’s toe in a crowded room.
Sure, they are experimenting. It wouldn’t surprise me at all that they push something into public (officially or probably not) and watch for the reaction. Maybe that doesn’t sound quite nice of fair to you, but is there any other way to do it?