Second Life to Regulate Virtual Porn, Prostitution and Pedophilia

Mark Kingdon, chief executive of Linden Lab, has decided to introduce tougher cybersex rules restricting sexual activity to certain zones within the site. The new TOS also includes a ban on "broadly offensive" behavior that some members interpret to mean things like pedophilia and bestiality.

Here's an excerpt from Second Life's Community Standards document, "Second Life is an adult community, but 'Adult' content, activity and communication are not permitted on the Second Life 'mainland.' Such material is permitted on private regions, or on the Adult Continent, Zindra."

Second Life's FAQ also states, "As part of this initiative, we will require Residents who access adult content (or view Adult search results) to go through an account verification process -- either being verified through our age verification provider, or have a verified payment method."

Second Life, Porn and Digital Technology

Advancements in digital technology have made virtual communities like Second Life much more realistic and easier to access. According to a statement on the website, Second Life is a "free online virtual world imagined and created by its Residents. From the moment you enter Second Life, you'll discover a fast-growing digital world filled with people, entertainment, experiences and opportunity."

Although Second Life prides itself in being a virtual utopia where citizens and legitimate business of all types can flourish, Second Life has had its share of controversy. Along with a pedophilia investigation carried out by Nick Schader from the Report Mainz, an FBI investigation led to a shut down of Second Life casinos.

There's also been speculation that Second Life is used as a training ground for terrorists, and that acts of bestiality are common in the virtual world. One investigation centered around an area in Second Life called "Wonderland" where users who look like children offer prostitution in a setting designed to replicate a child's playground.

Schader, who went undercover to investigate pedophilia in Second Life, was invited to attend meetings (for a fee) where virtual and real child pornography was shown, and where members offered to introduce him to real child pornography traders.

How Will the Crackdown Affect Second Life?

Some argue the main attraction of Second Life is its "anything goes" atmosphere. Uncensored freedom of expression is what draws most people to virtual communities like Second Life. Eric Krangel from Silicon Alley Insider told the Daily Telegraph,

"The very things that most appeal to Second Life's hardcore enthusiasts are either boring or creepy for most people: spending hundreds of hours of effort to make insignificant amounts of money selling virtual clothes, experimenting with changing your gender or species, getting into random conversations with strangers from around the world, or having pseudo-nonymous sex."

Can Second Life survive without its hardcore members? Most Second Life enthusiasts think it will, although its popularity may wane a bit. For them, cleaning up the site is not an option - activities that revolve around perversions such as pedophilia should not be part of any world, virtual or otherwise.

Sources:
Silicon Alley Insider: Linden Lab Finally Cracks Down On Second Life Porn, http://www.businessinsider.com/linden-lab-cracks-down-on-second-life-porn-2009-3
BBC: Can Second Life Regulate Virtual Sex?, http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/technology/2009/04/can_second_life_regulate_virtu.html
UKTelegraph: Second Life's Span Virtually Over as Firms Decide to Get Real, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/5078444/Second-Lifes-span-is-virtually-over-as-firms-decide-to-get-real.html
TechCrunch: Virtual Pedophilia Report Bad News For Second Life, http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/10/30/virtual-pedophilia-report-bad-news-for-second-life/