A documentary by Tracey Smith on CBS’s Early Show discusses some of the more disturbing dimensions to Second Life as they pertains to illicit and/or illegal activities. (Ironically, it’s been posted on YouTube by the self-styled “Hugh Hefner of Second Life,” Kevin Alderman (a.k.a. Strokerz)!)
Last year, a reporter from Britain’s Sky News uncovered a hidden world of violent pornography, Wonderland, in Second Life. Exposed, the world was removed – but not by Linden Labs, the creators of the virtual reality. (In fact, a spokesperson denied that there was any “firm evidence of wrongdoing … in Wonderland.” If there had been, the statement goes on, “any illegal activity or content [would] be investigated and appropriate action [would] be taken” [CNN])
It has been noted that “virtual crime has real victims.” There is a real worry that fantasies will be brought into the real world and that children will be exploited. The problem is that user-created content can’t be policed in the same way as regular explicit software.
Indeed, in some countries, like Germany, have ruled virtual pedophilia as possession of pornography and therefore legally punishable. By contrast, the Supreme Court in the US holds that digital images do exploit real people.
References:
CNN Today. CNN on pedophile sex in Second Life. YouTube. Nov. 12, 2007. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQM-SiiaipE&feature=related
Farrell, Jason. Sky News on Second Life in Wonderland. YouTube. Oct. 31, 2007. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN_jr6xjs90
Smith, Tracey. Virtual Sex in Second Life. YouTube. March 14, 2008. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruMi3MAGkvc&feature=related
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