Linden Lab Speaks About The Bots

 

With all the talk about the Bonniebots, and Linden Lab having to suspend comments on several threads on the official forums about them as well as talking to the staff behind the bots, it was no surprise they would eventually say something. And on Friday afternoon, February 3, they did, posting a statement in the official blog under "Balancing Initiative and Privacy."

We know there has been quite a bit of discussion about Scripted Agents/NPCs lately.  Linden Lab is committed to continuing its excellent track record of keeping your personally identifiable information safe and secure.  We understand that there is a certain amount of information a “bot” service has been collecting and displaying on their third party website that is causing unease in our community, and we’re working on the best way to address these concerns.

Linden Lab is having conversations with the parties involved, however this should not be taken as an endorsement of any sort. We have spoken several times in an attempt to get a full picture of the situation. These discussions have been mutually beneficial, and will help us as we look to update our policy on Scripted Agent/NPC operation in Second Life.

We recognize the need for improvements in specific areas, so in the near future we will be making adjustments to policies where needed.  We have seen many requests from the community with a wide array of suggestions, and we appreciate all earnest and civil engagement. Internal discussions will continue beyond the Scripted Agent/NPC Policy, and any programmatic changes will be communicated as those roll out.

Thank you to everyone who engaged in this topic and added your voice.  While we have had to shut down several discussions that became unproductive, we have welcomed feedback through support contacts and have been using this feedback to inform our decision-making. We are listening, and are working to make sure that Second Life is a welcoming and engaging world for all our Residents (and their automata). 

 

The parts "as we look to update our policy on Scripted Agent/NPC operation in Second Life," and "in the near future we will be making adjustments to policies where needed," suggests there *may* be some changes as to what information bots can collect in the future. But this is not a sure thing.