Thursday, August 30, 2007

Second Life Parent Control Tool

In the section: Things that make you go *hmmm*
Virtual world news reported on a competition to create a open-soure parental control in Second life.
TUV and Beatenetworks announced a competition for an open-source parental control tool in Second Life. Earlier this year, the German television network ARD reported on depictions of child pornography in Second Life, prompting nation-wide concerns over content control in Second Life. In June CEO Philip Rosedale discussed country-specific filtering tools with the German magazine Focus, but nothing more on that front has been announced. It looks like TUV and Beatenetworks are trying to capitalize on the demand for age controls without requiring a more intrusive age verification scheme like the one discussed by Linden in May.

parental control
Funny is that this was annouched on the 22nd just before Linden Lab gave more information about there own sceme, last week. But there is something more delicious ironic about a parental control tool for Second Life.

Second life and specificly the maingrid is in the present for adults only. Parents have already lost control when their childern are there already. So what is the goal of this tool? It would basicly promote the use of Second Life by childern, and give parents a fake sense of security.

Instead if making a account for them on Teen Second Life they would send them to the adult grid with this tool. However good this tool will be, there will always be ways to circumvent it.

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2 comments:

  1. I dunno, it does have a sense of looking to the future, seeing as keeping teen access and adult access to the grid separated will become complicated in the long-run.

    But yeah, for the most part it reeks of stupidity and ignorance of the rules.

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  2. Hi, its me, Alice from Beatenetworks. The purpose of the tool was to scan parcels for explict child abusive content and bring up a screensaver as sort of automatic boycott tool.
    sure it could be also used to control childrens access once installed. the main idea was to not accidently run on parcels which support sexual abuse of minors. makes sense?

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