Age-verification - a matter of informed choice

Reader Comments (2)

I want to make it clear that I am *NOT* encourage Canadians to file official complaints until the system moves OUT of beta. At least on person that I know of already has, but there's no need to jump the gun here. But we need to make Linden Labs aware that their age-verification system is a total clusterfuck for Canadians.

It is not illegal for a third party to ask for a SIN, but I am quite concerned that those Canadians, who are not aware of Canada's privacy laws, will thoughtlessly supply numbers like the SIN, and thereby open themselves to identity theft.

I am not a lawyer, but according to Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act at
http://www.privcom.gc.ca/information/02_05_d_08_e.asp
(Note the second point below, about how LL cannot refuse age-verification services if Canadians refuse to provide these sorts of ID):
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"The law [Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic
Documents Act] requires organizations to:

- obtain your consent when they collect, use or disclose your personal information [which, btw, INCLUDES YOUR AGE]

- supply you with a product or a service even if you refuse consent
for the collection, use or disclosure of your personal information
unless that information is essential to the transaction;

- collect information by fair and lawful means; and

- have personal information policies that are clear, understandable
and readily available. "

I am NOT against age verification, but I have very serious concerns about HOW Linden Labs is implementing this policy.

I now understand from the Age Verification FAQ that Linden Labs will now accept a scanned copy of a utility bill with my name and home address. That's the first reasonable request from them I've had, and I can certainly do that.

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My feeling is that we need to start asking questions now. Not about SecondLife but Aristotle and how they are claiming to have all our data as Canadian citizens. Something fundamentally wrong here. Aristotle claim to be able to verify Canadians and have on file out License numbers, Passport Numbers, SIN numbers as well as address, DOB and Name.

I find it very hard to believe that the government has handed this over. I do plan to call first thing Monday morning and follow it up with a good old snail mail. I want to know did the Government hand over this data? If so why? If not how can they allow a company to falsely claim so.

Many people are not as careful as they should be and are handing over their personal data. Trusting folk they are. This is going on right now as they are concerned that they will be kept out of something.

As a human in the modern world one has to be very careful. Canada is a trusting and safe environment and the citizens are not so aware of how identity theft and profiling are becoming common place. We have strict rules for privacy for a good reason to protect us.

So DO NOT VERYIFY as a canadian until this is all settled I doubt very much that it will remain now that a terrorist can Verify. To many holes to make it worthwile.

Do call and let our government and ask if Aristotle has the right to have out personal information on file and who provided it? Let them know that there is a company claiming to have all of our personal data. www.aristotle.com. We can not afford to sit back and let this just happen.

Re the sending in of a utility bill as proof of identity that is the most ridiculous thing I have heard of. Bad enough that one can use anothers identity now we can make it up. Photoshop and bingo we have a Utility bill in what ever name we want further invalidating the need to hand over real identity information.

Protect your identity as no one else will.

For those who want the verification. Search images.google.com for "Drivers License" and there is all that you need. Verify with out worry as LindenLab has no idea what ID was used and Aristotle doesn't care. They just want records that they can sell.

Please remember that this is all about protecting kids and giving users trust in their fellow residents. As it currently is it does neither.

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