Friday, October 1, 2010

Reader Submitted: What Should SL Residents Do About the Facebook "Real Names" TOS Requirement?

Many Second Life residents have social media accounts, which are associated with their SL selves, such as Facebook. But the Facebook TOS requirements to create an account can be conflicting and are those SL residents with FB accounts in jeopardy of loosing those accounts?

Read this Second Life forums post http://blogs.secondlife.com/message/377837#377837 . What should SL residents do about the TOS Requirement of real names for Facebook accounts? As stated in the TOS "Facebook users will provide their real names and information'. [ http://www.facebook.com/terms.php?ref=pf ] Should Second Life residents who use Facebook, not ask, not tell or should claim the ID/name as theirs because they as well as a society claim it is truly them?

The Facebook TOS does not define 'real name' but does 'information' as "facts." When we as resident act on Second Life, it is 'fact', so content is covered. If this type of case were to be taken to court, how would an SL resident win ?

Second Life is a 3D platform, not defined as either a chat or a game specifically but instead a resident driven 3D community. According to studies, people identify with their av's more than they do their physical selves and see their Second Life representation as their their true identity. Does this means that Second Life residents are justified in having an account according to the Facebook TOS?

Is there a precedence for this kind of situation (case)? How would you argue a case like this if it were you? Who is brave enough to take on this question?

SammanthaS Nightfire

1 comment:

  1. More comments on the subject at http://blogs.secondlife.com/message/421046 and http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=158115094208016&id=100000992170087&ref=mf

    My observation is this rule isn't being enforced, at least against those whose Facebook accounts are of their SL names. If Facebook's owners asked me "So why should we let you and your peers stay on?" I would explain that the name is a big ...part of my online identity - my published writings in the past few years have been under this name for instance.

    Ultimately, it's up to Facebook. But do they really want to give so many the boot?

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