Linden Lab has responded to the recent Sky News/Five News report on sexual ageplay between adults in Second Life with a formal statement.
In it, Linden Lab continues to hold a strong position against such content -- although, we think the statement itself would carry far weight if it were not almost word-for-word the same statement issued in response to Farrell's Wonderland scandal some several months ago.
Second Life is a 3D virtual world in which all the content is created and owned by its Residents. It is used by individuals, businesses, non-profits and educational organizations to communicate and collaborate in an immersive and compelling way. All Residents using Second Life MUST assert that they are over 18 years of age and that they will abide by our Terms of Service which prohibit illegal activity and by our Community Standards which prevent broadly offensive behavior. While the vast majority of Residents abide by these agreements and use Second Life in a constructive fashion, as with any communications technology, such as email, the phone or the Web itself, some seek to abuse the system and behave in an offensive manner.
At present, we have no firm evidence of wrongdoing from our own investigations into the alleged incidents nor from our Abuse Report channel. There's nothing objectionable nor illegal in having a child-like avatar in itself and we must assume innocence until proof of the contrary. That said, Linden Lab is morally opposed to and has zero tolerance for child pornography, simulated or otherwise, within Second Life.
It is a primary concern of ours to keep Second Life a safe and legal environment. Second Life Residents are held to a clearly defined Terms of Service and Community Standards to prevent illegal and/or broadly offensive activities, and it goes without saying that anyone engaged in these activities will be permanently banned from Second Life. Additionally, it is important to clarify that when we discover minors in Second Life, or when their presence is reported to us, we terminate their access. Underage users are automatically directed to Teen Second Life, an area specifically designed for non-adults, and offering them a rich, creative experience collaborating with other teens.
In addition, Linden Lab is in the process of implementing age verification measures to require age verification for entrance to parcels with adult content. More information about this can be found here: http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/08/29/identity-verification-comes-to-second-life/ and here: http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/12/05/age-verification-enters-grid-wide-beta/
In the rare instances of suspected child pornography of which we have been informed, Linden Lab immediately works to remove the offending content and involves local authorities where appropriate. At present in the US, we work with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and are open to working with similar authorities in other countries, such as CEOPS.
There you have it. We've got a few questions for reporter Jason Farrell as well, and will try to get some answers to them.
