Fantasy Faire Banning AI Content

 

Content created by artificial intelligence, or AI, has been quite a controversial topic. And some days ago, the Fantasy Faire addressed the issue. They are banning all content created by AI at the festival.

 

It seems that before, content in which AI had a hand it it's creation was acceptable as long as it wasn't part of something for sale, that is, it could be used for marketing or items to decorate an area. Now, whether it's items for sale or marketing or decorations for areas, any AI-created content is banned from the Faire.

Fantasy Faire’s current (2025) stance toward Gen-AI (generative artificial intelligence) is that selling anything created with it is not allowed at the Faire. We have so far allowed its usage in marketing textures or decorations if they are not for sale, but the global situation has worsened so much during the last years that we are going to change this rule to cover everything that has been produced with the help of Gen-AI, regardless if they are for sale or not.

Starting Fantasy Faire 2026 no Gen-AI produced items are allowed anywhere within the Fairelands, whether they are for sale or not.
 

The reason given. the Fantasy Faire is about fantasy, about the magic of imagination and letting one's mind experience the magic of the imagination and creativity of others. And this is something a machine can't really duplicate, at best mimic (some would call stealing) the work of others.

 

Fantasy Faire has always been about imagination and inspiration, and the human talent in bringing your visions to life. We want to celebrate what people dream into being with their own imagination and skill sets instead of what a machine can cobble together from other people’s work. 

 

As for the writing of this article, the Fantasy Faire starts in fifteen days, on April 23. 

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

Tik-Tok Social Media App Goes Offline, Then Restored

 

 

On the night of Saturday January 18, The social media app TikTok went offline. Those trying to access it instead got the following message:

Sorry,TikTok isn't available right now

A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now.

We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate Tiktok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!

This was the result of a law passed in April last year in which the app would be banned from use within the United States unless it's Chinese-based parent company ByteDance sold it. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court upheld the ban. 

But the next day, Sunday January 19, TikTok was back. President-Elect Trump had stated he would issue an executive order giving the app a reprieve.

Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump's efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!

You can continue to create, share, and discover all the things you love on TikTok.

Since 2018 when it was merged with another app, Musical.ly, Tik Tok has been a sensation, with millions using it to share short videos from funny to serious. It's been especially popular with teenagers and young adults. But while social media platforms have always been subject to criticism, notably for gleaning data from it's users, with TikTok it was moreso due to the parent company being from China, whose government has been criticized for violating human rights and has been increasingly confrontational with the United States. It caught attention in 2019 when other social media was showing images of Hong Kong protests, but they were absent on TikTok. Despite that US election-related posts were on, the company's response to the criticism was that the platform was for entertainment and not politics. But leaked documents showed moderators were told to remove content the Chinese government considered sensitive. Concerns about collected data ending up in the hands of Bejing would lead to the Pentagon bagging the app from all US Military smartphones. Trump in his first administration had issued an executive order to ban US companies from dealing with the app or it's owner and then a second ordering it's sale within 90 days. But those legal efforts collapsed when Biden's Presidency started. But TikTok's problems continued, with stories that the app encouraged extreme dieting in teenagers. Continuing national security concerns would lead the FBI and FCC to ban the app from it's mobile devices. In March 2024, Congress would debate the law that would ban Tik Tok from operating in the US, and President Biden would sign it after it's passage in April. 

 

While many have praised the ban, calling TikTok too much of a security risk, others, notably it's users have protested, some saying they keep in touch with the news or make some money through it.  Ironically enough, Trump who was once a critic, began making use of the app in his 2024 election campaign that year. In anticipation of the ban, some users began signing up with another Chinese app, Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote (or Little Red Book).

Sources: BBC News, Associated Press, The Guardian

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

Linden Lab Partially Reverses Gacha Ban, New Gachas Must Not Be Transferable

 

Linden Lab is changing it's policy on gachas. They're allowed again, but ...

Many residents will remember gachas, the popular items that were sold on machines dispensing one of a number of items at random and people buying them up, often to get rare items that could be traded or sold for quite a bit of cash. There were events based around them such as the twice a year Gacha Guild, and there were groups dedicated to trading and selling gachas. But as popular as they were, they also had plenty of critics, people complaining they had an addictive nature. And in August 2021, to the delight of their critics and to the shock and dismay of their fans, Linden Lab announced they were banning gachas "due to a changing regulatory climate."

On Tuesday October 10, Linden Lab announced they had updated their policy, saying they were lifting the "general prohibition" on them. But, there was a catch. People can set up gacha machines that gave out items like they did before the ban, BUT, unlike the goods before the ban, they can not be transferable. New gacha items can not be resold. 

In 2021, we implemented a general prohibition on gachas to align with global regulatory concerns. Starting October 7, 2024, we are lifting this prohibition. Residents can once again engage in gacha-based sales, but with a key new rule: gacha items, including the boxes or containers they come in, must not be transferable. This means that once you purchase a gacha item, it is yours and cannot be passed on to other users.

Linden Lab would go on to say breedables and games of skill were unaffected by this policy change, the latter as long as the prize was not transferable. They would also post an entry on the Second Life Wiki about the change (link). In the FAQ, they would state the reason they were doing a partial reversal was because "he latest changes in the legal climate related to gachas and loot boxes have given us an opportunity to lessen the formerly more restrictive policy."

In the forums, reaction was mixed.  Some were happy to have Gachas coming back. Others felt this was a disappointment, that allowing gachas back but not transferable was like allowing trading cards but banning the ability to trade them. And others felt any gacha was bad, transferable or not, as they were still addictive. One interesting comment was that this partial reversal of the ban "significantly harms the secondary resale economy."

So how does this affect the machines that resemble gachas but show what item is up for sale next, and the stores selling old gacha items. People in SL chat and the forums have been telling yours truly that this new policy doesn't affect them and they can continue as they have been, that the policies affect only gacha items created after the ban lift. 

To read the Lab's announcement in full, Click Here. 

Bixyl Shuftan

Music Video Maker Furrex Banned From Second Life

 

Over the years, the Newser has posted on Saturdays a number of music videos done in Second Life. Some of them were from a resident known on Youtube as Furrex, or Furry Alex in the past. But it looks like there will be no more. A few days ago, he released a video stating he had been banned from the virtual world. It included a picture of the email from Linden Lab stating they had "terminated" his access "due to severe or repeated violations of the Second Life Terms of Service or Community Standards."

Furrex stated in the comments (in Russian) that it was no secret he had been doing photoshoots or videos for payment, "... this has allowed me to improve the content of the channel. ...  As far as I know, the platform rules do not prohibit doing this." He went on to state that he couldn't buy Linden dollars himself "due to restrictions in my country. Therefore, I used what seemed to me a legal method." Two days earlier, he had done a deal for a video for 30,000 Lindens "and within an hour I received an automatic ban."

 (click here if the video does not play)

 

He would state at first he thought he broke something, and went to technical support. It was then he was informed of the ban, and asked what was his relationship with the resident who had given him the Linden dollars, "but it seems to me that the support didn’t even read what I wrote about, they simply ignored my words." He filed another appeal, and was told "that I also used some programs. I have no idea what programs can be used for SecondLife. I apologize for using Fraps and Sony Vegas 19." Fraps is a video program, and Vegas 19 is a video editor.

I will probably never be unblocked again. Also, I still have no idea why I got banned. I am not going to somehow bypass the blocking, register new accounts or use my second empty account, because I have always been an honest user and remain one to this day. ... Unfortunately, I can’t somehow influence this situation, I had a lot of new content prepared for you, ideas, avatars, animations, while I’m writing this, my soul is just crying ... It was something.

I just want to say thank you to all of you, you are the best and most positive thing that has happened in my life. It has been my absolute pleasure to create content for you. Each of my videos is a piece of my soul, this is what I felt at that moment, these were my thoughts, my mood, what I wanted to show. ... Thank you for the gift of emotions and the opportunity to express yourself. Over these 9 years, the content has grown very much in terms of quality and my individual experience, it would seem that now there would be something unreal, but, alas, it happens. Life doesn't always happen the way we want.

As Linden Lab doesn't go into why it bans people with others, we have only Furrex's explanation. Beyond that, we can only speculate. Over the years, the Newser has written about a number of people who were banned. Some such as zFire Xue the creator of Redzone clearly deserved it. There were others in which while a ban was understandable there could have been a warning instead such as when one young businesswoman used her mother's credit card to get Linden dollars. And then there were times such as when one hacked resident instead of having her account returned found it was banned and making another to rejoin her friends found that banned as well. A few years ago, the owner of Rainworx was banned for having a claw machine at her place. But after word got around, Linden Lab did a rare reversal and lifted the ban.

In any case, it looks like this is the end for Furrex's videos. He has some more we haven't shown, notably a few new ones, but he will be making no more, at least not in Second Life. 

*Addition* I've heard some speculation that the reason for Furrex's ban was because of the sanctions on his country due to it's dictator's invasion of it's neighbor. It's also been speculated that the person who he did business with had gotten the money through less than legal means and somehow the music maker got caught up in it. What is known is that he crossed out "last video" in the Youtube's title and is continuing to make music videos. So it seems we'll continuing to hear more from Furrex.

 

Bixyl Shuftan  

The Gacha Ban From Two Owners' Points of View

 

After the end of the month, the gacha ban ordered by Linden Lab will take effect. The end of an era of Second Life shopping, the ban is being cheered by some, and cursed by others. But how will this affect the owners? The Newser reached out for answers, and two people who make money through gacha machines responded on how the ban will affect them.

Read more in Design.
 

News and Commentary: Of The Gacha Ban

 
Linden Lab's move to ban gachas has been among their most controversial decisions in Second Life history. Gachas have been a popular way of selling goods. But they've also had no shortage of harsh critics. The ban brought out much criticism to the Lab, "Why shut down these business people?" But it also got a lot of cheers, "It's about time. They should have been gone a long time ago."

The move has been compared to the gambling ban in 2007 when Linden Lab ordered obvious games of chance, at least those that required Linden dollars to play for a chance to get a bigger cash return, taken down. The reasons today are pretty obvious - they were against California law, which Linden Lab falls under. Probably the biggest criticism was that the Lab only gave the operators 48 hours to shut down.

A number of critics of gachas claim they're little more than gambling themselves, that in order to get the prized rare item, people have to spend an unknown number of Lindens to get it. And therefore should fall under laws against gambling. Another comparison is to the "Lootboxes" of various games, among the most infamous examples being the ones on Battlefront II that made the game which already cost money to buy a "pay to win" one. Another example was Overwatch, in which the items in the crates didn't affect gameplay, but critics charged the desire for rare ones would be an incentive for players, notably minors, to spend money to purchase one. Several countries have passed laws or debated proposed laws against them.

In my opinion, there is another move by Linden Lab that more closely resembles it's gacha ban, it's May 2013 move to shut down independent Linden dollar exchangers. This move came two months following the US Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issuing a statement of guidelines on virtual currency, which were interpreted by one blogger as Linden Lab having to register with FinCEN to avoid steep penalties. To those familiar with the blogger's article, it did seem the Lab paniced and responded with a ban. But to the Lab's surprise, a number of residents outside the US stated they'd have to stop coming to Second Life as they now had no means to buy Linden dollars. So the Lab partially rescinded the ban, and the exchangers willing to be licensed by the Lab could do business again. But two years later, the Lab would once again ban them. This time, they had made it easier for Non-US residents to buy Linden dollars, and so the third-party Linden exchanger ban was for good.

There was a lawsuit by California against Apple concerning games from it's app store in which lootboxes were involved, but it was dropped. So as Second Life is under California law, it's under no obligation legally to drop them. Might access to Second Life be blocked in countries that ban lootboxes? Unlikely as to my knowledge, no country has complained to Linden Lab about it's gachas, including those with laws against lootboxes. So it seems instead of waiting until an actual complaint in which it could either fight in court or comply, it decided to jump the gun and ban the games months, perhaps over a year, before any serious challenge was mounted. Considering that gacha machine owners were given just 30 days to transition, either there's something going on behind the scenes only the Lab knows, or once again the Lab made a panic move in anticipation government actions.

Probably one more distinction between Second Life gachas and lootboxes is that there's no way, at least legitimately, a young child can put cash into an SL gacha. No one under 13 is allowed at all. While 13-15 year olds can come on, they need a sponsor organization and are limited only to the few sims owned by that sponsor. Accounts belonging to 16 and 17 year olds, under the rules they are limited to General-rated sims. If the Lab really was feeling pressured to "do something," limiting gacha machines to Mature and Adult rated sims would have been a much less drastic action. While a minor could always lie about their age and claim to be 18, that's already a banable offense.

Yes, a lot of people hate gachas. There's no shortage of people going virtually broke trying to get that one rare item they want. And if people go onto Marketplace to try to find it, some can only find only a few at huge prices. But there are ways to deal with these problems rather than a heavy-handed ban.

So what effect will the gacha ban have on Second Life? Some of the gacha merchants will do doubt find other ways to sell their products. Some may decide they'll be working harder for less money and close up shop. Two of the biggest gacha events, The Arcade and Gacha have already announced they're continuing. But some lesser known ones may find trouble attracting clients. 

Time will tell.

On a final note, I've occasionally played gachas myself. If I ever got what I didn't much care for, well, maybe someone might like it for a gift. And once in a while the rare items I managed to get became gifts as well.

Sources: Screenrant, Wikipedia, Bloomberg Law, gamesindustry.biz

Bixyl Shuftan

"Additional FAQs" For Gacha Ban Announcement

 
On Thursday August 5, Linden Lab expanded their list of Frequently Asked Questions added at the end of their announcement on Monday that Gacha machines were to be banned. The FAQ was first added on Tuesday August 3.

*  *  *  *  *
 
Q:  Should any newly developed sales mechanism or newly created items be called “gacha” going forward?

A:  No, as we would like to eliminate any confusion with the usage of the term going forward.

Q:  Is a game that requires skill to win the prize you want permitted going forward?  For example, you throw a dart and you must hit a certain number to get the prize corresponding to that number.

A:  This would need to go through the Skilled Game review process and be presented in a Skilled Gaming region, if approved.

Q:  I am selling an item that is known, paid for and delivered to a purchaser, and for each purchaser they are entered into a prize drawing where randomly selected people who bought the item may receive a rare item as a result of the drawing, is this permitted?

A:  You must also provide a free, concise and easy way for anyone to enter into the random drawing with an equal chance to win.

Q:  Can I sell an item, and also then include an unknown random item attached as a bonus? For example, Like a buy one, get one free (BOGO), but the free item is the random/unknown item.

A:  No

Q:  Could a “conveyor belt” system work?  

Example:  The vendor board selects an item at random and displays it for purchase.  That item remains on display and available for purchase until a buyer touches the vendor which locks it to them for purchase.  This allowed the buyer to purchase the item and deliver it.  The vendor unlocks and then selects another item at random and displays it for purchase and the cycle repeats.

Example image here and credit to Nadi Vemo for the approved vendor design.

A:  Yes, as long as the item currently being purchased is known. Note however that you should discontinue the use of the “gacha” term for these sales.

Q:  But what about breedables (again)?

A:  If you buy a brown cat, and a blue cat (as examples), as long as you knew you were getting a brown cat and a blue cat at the time of sale, this is acceptable at the present including the various unknown traits they may come with or develop.  Secondarily, when those cats make little kittens with unknown outcomes, this is also acceptable.  Lastly, the resale of any breedables will require at the time of purchase that the purchaser knows what they are purchasing at the root level (for example, it is a blue cat).  

Q:  What about my specific idea, you didn’t cover it here?

A:  We wish we could cover all the great ideas we’ve seen proposed to date. Sadly we can’t address them all and if there are any questions or proposed ideas that would suggest any other permutations on the policy, we recommend a simple and thoughtful approach to stay within the boundaries of the policy.  Failing that, please feel free to contact customer support.
 
*  *  *  *  *

Stay tuned for further developments
 

Arcade Gacha, Gacha Guild, To Continue Despite Gacha Ban

 
Linden Lab's announcement on Monday that they would be banning gacha machines from Second Life at the start of next month had people asking what would happen to the various merchants and events that depend on these sales for their business. Of the events, two of the largest are the Arcade Gacha and the Gacha Guild. So no doubt a number were wondering what would happen to them. Would they fold, or try to change and stay?

According to announcements from them, both plan to continue.

On Facebook, Arcade Gacha would post that while their next event would be called off due to lack of time to prepare, their plans were "to re-imagine the event and return strong."

Just like you, we've been rocked by Linden Lab's recent decision to ban gacha. For the past 9 years, gacha's been the backbone of Arcade's events, and we're truly sad to see it go. Due to LL's change and short notice to comply, we've decided to cancel September's upcoming round. This pause provides our team the much-needed time to re-imagine the event and return strong. We'll be in touch soon and look forward to seeing you when The (ALL NEW) Arcade re-opens!

The Gacha Guild had both announcements that they would be continuing, by their director Nams (Nama Gearz) with an announcement in the inworld group.

Gachas may be going away but we are not! Though a lot of changes will have to be made in the coming days and we are prepared to do what it takes to keep the event rolling. .Gacha Guild. will now be called simply .The Guild. going forward as well.

That's our tldr, but the full letter to everyone goes more in depth with how we're going to proceed. Please have a look and we'll see you in October!  

"The letter" was an open letter on the Gacha Guild website. It stated for October, it would just sell items the ordinary way "it’ll just be straightforward, regular sales" rather than include any new systems designed to get around the gacha ban. "It’s likely such systems are already being developed by many SL residents as we speak. Time will tell if those systems will be 100% approved by Linden Labs, and until then, they will not be allowed for use in the event."

"The amazing work designers make will not be diminished because they’re not in gacha form and will be every bit as spectacular as they always have been."

So for the two largest gacha events in Second Life, the ban does not mean the end, but change.

Hat Tip: Daniel Voyager, Matoazma Kazyanenko

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Linden Lab Develops FAQ Addition to Gacha Ban Announcement

 
As anticipated, Linden Lab has come up with a "Frequently Asked Questions" in regards to their gacha machine ban. It has been added to their announcement, appearing below it.

Q:  Is it possible to extend the policy deadline?

A:  We are sorry that we are not able to further extend the policy deadline.  However, we have been able to extend the enforcement of the policy change an additional 30 days.  To be clear, starting on September 1 we expect gacha as a sales mechanism to cease. However we will start with warnings, and any enforcement of the policy as it would be applied on an account will not begin until after September 30.

Q:  How are breedables impacted by this policy change?

A:  This current policy change and deadline does not apply to breedables or other life simulation products.  At the present we are working with external counsel on the subject of breedables.  If any action is required we will make a separate announcement and have a separate timeline associated with it.

Q:  Will popular games like 7seas be impacted by this policy change?

A:  No, because the purchase of bait to go “fishing” is a purchase being made of a known item, and also the fish you catch while playing the game are non-transferable.  To be clear, if they are not currently, they must be going forward.

Q: How are subscription boxes affected?

A: Subscription boxes are not affected as long as all subscribers are getting the same content box. Different items being sent to different subscribers on a chance basis is not allowed.

Q:  How are Linden Homes affected?

A: Linden Homes are not impacted by this policy change.  Linden Lab owns the homes and they are not transferable.   

Linden Lab stated this list of questions will likely be updated as time goes on.
 

Patch Linden Says More About Upcoming Gacha Ban

 

When Linden Lab announced they would be banning gacha machines in Second Life, there was quite an avalanche of responses on the forum thread created for the topic. Some were in support of the ban, some had mixed opinions, and many opposed it, sometimes strongly. Eventually Patch Linden saw the need to step up and offer a little further explanation.

I wanted to address a few themes I'm seeing so far.   

 One of the bigger one's is 'why'?   As we mentioned in the post, the regulatory climate around these sorts of selling mechanisms abroad have been under scrutiny for some time, as many have also already mentioned.  This includes the formation of some precedence already in place.  We did not make this decision without a lot of thought on the impact this has and sadly we know how burdensome this can be for many.  Through legal guidance, we are giving as much notice as we possibly can, but we also understand that it may not be enough is all cases.  While we will begin enforcement on September 1, we will not start this out with an aggressive approach.  Your account will not be at risk on a first offense basis.  Please don't take that as an opportunity to break the rules until you get caught, but we are committed to taking a proactive approach to any enforcement.

Next, is some of the comments on the mechanism or the gacha machines themselves.  It is the act of paying for something and in return the item/thing you receive back is based on chance.  The level of chance does not matter, or if you disclose it, including the ratios, percentages, etc, if the output is unknown (chance based in any way), that combination of mechanisms is what will be prohibited moving forward.

I have seen some interesting counter-points to how to handle the sales of the content themselves.  Of course any already purchased gachas will continue to be able to be re-sold by resellers so long as the sales mechanism doesn't use a chance based outcome to give you the item.  Limited quantity items is another that would be perfectly ok to do, so long as the item being represented for purchase is what you receive upon purchase.

Stay tuned for more information as it comes in.

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Trump Twitter Ban Raises Questions About Roles and Responsibilities of Social Media

 

It's been about a week since US President Donald Trump was banned from Twitter. Trump has been a controversial figure in American politics, and his takedown from the social media platform was greeted with applause by his opponents and criticism by his supporters. But some, including people whom have been critical of Trump in the past, expressed concerns about him being removed. The head of Twitter himself felt while they did the right thing, the move could have repercussions in the future for free speech online.

Read more in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.

Rainworx Owner Rain Puddles Banned Over Claw Game, Reinstated

 

A few days ago on October 20, customers of Rainworx Labs got an unpleasant surprise. The owner, Rain Puddles, had been permanently banned from Second Life by Linden Lab. The reason? For having a claw game at her store. The Marketplace store for Rainworx was also down. She would post about it on Twitter, her attempts at reasoning with Linden Lab being ignored.

So @SecondLife perma banned me for something I was not aware of. The product I was banned for using is still avail on the MP. How is this fair?! every ticket I submit is an automated reply with the same wording. I just called them on the phone to talk to a human being still nada

She would later say the claw game in question was apparently considered gambling by the Linden who banned her. She would add it was at other peoples' stores and there was no Linden dollar payout, and that she had heard nothing from Linden Lab until the babn, "They have claimed I have been warned several times and I was not. The only thing I have received from LL was a ticket they opened that I wasn't even aware of since there was no emails about it until I went to submit a ticket I didn't even know it exissted. ... I have grown my business' on SL for 10+ years to just have them take it from me is so heartbreaking."

Word soon got around about what happened. The Newser heard about it from a friend on our Discord channel. Rain would get a number of replies. "This whole situation smells of stinky vindictive bull****." "It just blows my mind that they wouldn't take every possible step first to ensure you were contacted in some way, even going to direct messaging, and then removing the machine. Or hell, why not just remove the machine, give you a notice and a slap in the wrist, and go about it?" "This is so unfair. I hope you'll be able to fix it, and that LL will see how this was a honest mistake."

Eventually, someone came up with what the issue was, "It's been a law case in California for years now. Essentially California courts ruled claw machines are technically gambling on the account  of not being guaranteed a prize. And because gambling is illegal in California, any definition of gambling follows." But in the words of one person on Twitter, "I didn't know that a claw machine would be considered gambling, I honestly don't know HOW MANY residents know either tbh."

Eventually, Patch Linden responded on Twitter that he was looking into the matter. The following day, Rain would announce the ban had been lifted.

So good news! @SecondLife @LindenLab have decided to unban me! I want to thank everyone for their support during all of this and thank you @LindenPatch. My marketplaces are still not available so please bare with me.

As of the writing of this article, Rainworx Marketplace is still down. But the items in the mainland store have been discounted. A Marketplace search would reveal a few claw machines up and available for sale. Talking with friends about the incident, a few considered it an example of Linden Lab's behavior.

In any event, a big misunderstanding has been cleared up.

Bixyl Shuftan

News in Brief

There's a lot going on, both in Second Life and online gaming. So while we're trying to find some time to write an in-depth article, here's a few topics in brief.

Burn2, the largest annual art and music festival is taking place on Second Life. There are numerous music events and art exhibits over the six sims. To get there, head to Burning Man- Deep Hole (174/32/25). The festival lasts to Sunday October 20, with the high points being the Burning of the Man on Saturday and the Temple Burn on Sunday.

Also going on is the Gacha Guild event. Taking place twice a year, people can purchase avatars and accessories. The hot item for this event is the Spirit Fennec avatar, of which people are selling for as low as ten Lindens on Marketplace. Starting up a few days ago was the event's "Hallows 2019 Silent Hill Hunt," which promises big scares and big prizes. The event ends on November 1, and is located at Dew Drop (189/180/1002).

The controversy over the game company Blizzard banning of a game tournament winner and stripping him of his prize money continues. A few days ago, they announced he would still get the prize money, but was still banned for six months. But this hasn't stopped the criticism from it's customers, human rights organizations, or US politicians. The company's largest annual event, Blizzcon, is just in a couple weeks and fans are planning a protest there.
Image from Vice

Stay tuned for more information.

Bixyl Shuftan

Reader Submitted: Stranger in a Strange Second Life

Well I have been in this strange life for years.

Been through many wars and many injustices.

Before I ever got here the Gambling wars happened.

In the destruction after the gambling banned happened laid wasted to Second Life.

Sure it got better but it was never the same.

I never knew SL before the war, I thought it had always been this way.

Gambling was not even why this happened, It was Greedy Governments.

I DID suggest moving everything to Nevada  where this was completely legal, But no.

So I found this place....

Thousands Upon Thousands of Slot Machine's.

WHAT was the point of the ban?

Yes I know California VS Nevada Laws.

Um.... In Nevada earning a profit is not yet illegal.

Zorro Wuramunga

Editor's Note: Although early Second Life had numerous casinos with games like blackjack and roulette, Linden Lab officially banned gambling in 2007. A few years later, some games began appearing, their makers claiming an element of skill was needed in order to win. In 2014, Linden Lab would clarify this under their "Skill Games" policy. To many residents, the difference between skill games and the banned casino games seems technical at best.

Linden Lab Issues Statement on President's Executive Order on Immigration

President Trump's executive order on immigration from several Middle Eastern countries (listed in full in this article from The Guardian), has caused no shortage of debate, inside the United States and out. Yesterday, Linden Lab made the decision to get involved in the debate by issuing this statement.

We at Linden Lab are extremely disappointed in and adamantly opposed to Trump’s recent executive order on immigration. We reject racism, intolerance, and xenophobia.

We are proud to include immigrants among our leadership, colleagues, and customers, as well as our families, friends, and communities. We value diversity, compassion, and understanding, and we are proud that our products enable people to come together and form meaningful connections regardless of differences in their offline lives.

Trump’s order is counter to what we value and antithetical to American ideals. We join the many voices calling on the US government to remove this restriction as quickly as possible and to refrain from imposing additional barriers that threaten opportunities for immigrants, under-represented minorities, and women.

Hamlet Au, whom in the past was under the employ of Linden Lab, praised the statement's choice of words, contrasting them to the "mild and conciliatory" statement issued by Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, whom expressed concern about "the impact of the recent executive orders," but expressed relief that the President was willing to allow the children of illegal immigrants to stay in the United States.  (statement in full).

Liberals and progressives have mostly condemned the President's executive orders, calling the 90 day moratorium a "Muslim ban," and say it goes against the ideals of what America stands for. Some compared it to when the SS St. Louis with over 900 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany was denied entry in the United States. While a few conservatives have expressed reservations about the executive order, there has been general agreement among them that a temporary ban on countries where there's a problem with Islamic terrorism is a necessity. Some have pointed out Europe has had numerous problems with it's Muslim refugees, including a number of reports of rape.

It should be noted on the day of Linden Lab's statement, there was a story in the news about a fatal attack on a Denver policeman in which the man arrested was a Muslim. But the man arrested for murder was a native-born convert, not an immigrant, and the mosque he was attending reportedly tried to warn the police the man had been radicalized. Supporters and opponents of the executive order are likely to see the incident very differently.

Sources: The Guardian, Linden Lab, New World Notes, Facebook, ABC News  

Bixyl Shuftan

Hillary Clinton Group Claims Trump Organization Leader Banned

It's not yet confirmed, but it may be the beginning of the end for Second Life's most well known group of supporters of Donald Trump.

On the evening of June 30, a member of the Hillary Clinton 2016 group, who requested to remain anonymous, stated that there was a group notice that JP Laszlo, the leader of the Trump Organization and a few other Trump groups in Second Life had been banned by Linden Lab and their sim, "The Wall," had been confiscated.

J.P. (jp.laszlo), leader of the biggest Trump group in Second Life got banned by the Lab and their main sim was seized.  J.P. and other associates no longer appear in people search or in any affiliated Trump groups.

J.P.'s group has been well known to troll SL residents (including us) with their political propaganda and harassment tactics.  I guess Linden Labs had enough of it. :-D

The notice was given by Priscilla Cox (Prissycox), the head of Hillary Clinton 2016.

A search for JP Laszlo both using inworld Search and on secondlife.com proved fruitless. The sim was still online when I checked. While it was blocked to visitors, it had been closed to them under JP as well.

Of exactly why JP and others of the Trump Organization were banned, the informer doubted it was for anything done with the Clinton group, "they had done some minor griefing to the Hillary HQ nothing major really.  So not sure what precipitated LLs big move last night." She had heard of a griefing incident at Bay City not far from where they had a building. But when I later talked to Marianne McCann, she had strong doubts that the Trump Organization was involved or that even if this were it would get a permanent ban in response as the incident in question was minor. However in the past, JP and his Trump Organization were accused of taking part in the outright griefing of Bernie Sanders supporters, in addition to the pranks they admitted pulling, such as the Trump Wall. Hamlet Au of New World Notes basically called for Linden Lab to ban members of the group for violations of Second Life's community standards. JP denied his group was griefing, "We are not trolls, just political activists with a sense of humor and fun." But others begged to differ,

More information may come in over the next few days, but with JP's account removed, it's doubtful he will be coming back to Second Life. While no doubt there will continue to be trolls harassing people in Trump's name, it seems the largest group of Trump supporters has just been swatted down.

* * * * *

A visit to Lionheart Ahadi revealed that the Clinton HQ was no longer at the block it and the old Trump HQ had been on. It's owner Candace Larganta had earlier hinted it would be up until after the July 4rth weekend. But there was another Clinton building at
Lionheart Pumbaa (205, 210, 28). The Trump building by the old Trump Organization that had been across the street from it was gone to, though one biker bar did put up a Trump sign.

In real life, the primaries are over, and both Clinton and Trump are trying to unify their parties behind them. But a number of Republicans are reluctant to support Trump, and many "Berners" say they will not vote for Clinton reguardless of whether or not she gets Sansers' endorsement. In both Second Life and real life, it's been an interesting election.

*Addition*  Contacting JP Lazslo through his Facebook group "Donald Trump Still Thinks Your Waifu is S***," he confirmed that Linden Lab had indeed banned him and others in his group. He also made a short but to the point post on his Twitter account.

Bixyl Shuftan

Is Facebook Deleting Second Life Users? Not Many

Last week, some Second Life users of Facebook were worried when there were whispers going around about accounts of Second Life users being deleted. While there seems to be some truth to this, the number seems relatively small. Of the fans of the Second Life Newser page, the number of "Likes" went down by about ten, or about 2 percent of the total.

The issue came up before two years ago when more residents expressed alarm over what to some seemed like a purge of Facebook users using their Second Life names. The issues are much the same now as then: Second Life users either insisting on Internet anonymity or posting under their SL names because that's what they were known as online vs Facebook being *the* social site on the Internet and having an inconsistently enforced policy that people use their "real names," even if everything the user posts about was done under a virtual identity.

Much of the responses are the same now as then, from "just change the name," to accusations of bait and switch. Hamlet Au of New World Notes recommended instead of using account names as Facebook names, create a page for the Second Life account name. He also suggested since Second Life co-founder Cory Ondrejka has become one of Facebook's top engineers and "brought over about had a oxen other Linden engineers to the Facebook team, … any … attention Second Life gets from Facebook's higher ups is more likely to be positive than negative." Facebook itself insists they do not go looking for people to delete, but that most accounts that are taken offline are from complaints by other users.

For yours truly, most of what I post is about Second Life, very little about real life activities, and so my name on the billion member social site remains what it is. It's simpler that way. Also, the number of fans on the Newser page has been growing again. So it appears the deletions are over, for now.



On another note, Facebook recently made International News. A Khalil Shreateh tried to alert them about a weak spot in their security. But he was ignored. His response, using the exploit to post on CEO Mark Zuckerberg's page about the weakness. Naturally, the response came within minutes.

Although there is a million US dollar reward for pointing out vulnerabilities, Facebook refuses to pay Shreateh. The official reason is that he violated the TOS. But as Shreateh is a Palestinian, perhaps Zuckerberg didn't want to appear to be sending money to the antagonists of Israel, America's best friend in the Middle East. Since then however, Shreateh has reportedly gotten a number of IT job offers, plus a sum of money raised by supporters in an effort organized by cybersecurity company BeyondTrust.



Sources: New World Notes, Venturebeat

Bixyl Shuftan

Commentary: Scripting and its Corruption

Today, Theonlyjohnny Resident has scripting on his mind. But not just any scripting, but the kind done for ill. Theonlyjohnny talks about how scriptors with bad intentions can do things such as teasing people with games with no prize, and worse such as sim bans for trivial reasons.

Read Theonlyjohnny's commentary in Design.

Avatar Discrimination: A Club Gives Furs the Boot

While checking out a club that appears on the "A List" group, Grease Coakes got a rude reception from the host. He wasn't questioned about his language, behavior, or the clothes he had on. No, he was tossed out of the club because they didn't like his choice of avatar.

Grease writes about his experience in People.

CBS Says Trekkers Can Still Roleplay Star Trek in Second Life

On Monday February 4, following a few months of worry from Second Life's Star Trek community, CBS finally answered the question of whether or not they had a problem with Trek content and roleplaying in Second Life. In short, they have no objections, as long as no one is making money off of it.

The following letter was the most recent one of a series of exchanges between CBS's legal department, and Anthony Haslage of the IFT group.



Thank you for your patience.  As I and my colleagues have previously discussed with you, CBS Studios is appreciative of the fans of STAR TREK who dedicate their time and energy to supporting the STAR TREK franchise in the real world as well as virtual worlds such as Second Life.

    After our internal discussions, we can advise that CBS Studios is pleased that STAR TREK fans interact and role-play in Second Life, but objects to fans who create and sell unlicensed, real or virtual merchandise featuring the STAR TREK properties.  As I explained during our discussion, when users of Second Life make it a commercial enterprise to sell uniforms, costume emblems, logos, badges, ships designs, props, etc., CBS Studios is obligated to protect against the unauthorized use of its rights.  CBS Studios remains concerned such an approach may cause confusion with its current or future licensed properties.

    With regard to your inquiry about obtaining a license for CBS Studios or a sublicense from its licensee, I have confirmed that at this time CBS Studios does not wish to pursue a license with you to permit third parties to sell virtual goods in the Second Life.

    You mentioned Linden Labs’ prior actions against fans of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.  We are not aware of Linden Labs policing Second Life on its own initiative to conduct blanket sweeps related to STAR TREK as a result of our prior take-down notice pursuant to the DMCA.  Should you become aware of such activities, we would appreciate your promptly advising us.  In the meantime, should CBS Studios seek to enforce its rights against users in Second Life, CBS Studios will take reasonable steps to notify Linden Labs of the infringements with sufficient detail.

    We hope that this explanation enables your fan communities to continue to enjoy STAR TREK in Second Life.


So it would seem Trekkers in Second Life, after months of worry, can relax again. But in a meeting to discuss CBS in December, it was brought up that some had already made places in other Grids. Whether or not they'll return in another issue.