Difference between revisions of "Linden Lab Official:Scripted Agent Policy"

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Official Policies

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Overview

This policy summarizes Linden Lab's policy on Scripted Agents. The policy covers all forms of Scripted Agents, such as bots, NPCs, and inviters. Any script or program that automates access to Second Life and its supporting web services through interfaces designed for the Second Life Viewer and its embedded browser is considered a Scripted Agent.

Second Life allows Scripted Agents with legitimate uses, but inappropriate uses are violations of this policy. The goal of this policy is to increase the fairness and reliability of Second Life’s search and communications services, to protect the privacy of Second Life Residents, and to make Scripted Agent developers and operators aware that the same global privacy regulations that apply when collecting Personal Data through websites apply when collecting data through Second Life.

Identification

Set scripted agent status

Scripted Agents, often called bots, are avatars controlled by computer programs rather than people. See the Overview above for a fuller description.

If you own a Second Life account primarily operating as a Scripted Agent, you must specify this on the Scripted Agent Status page. By identifying Scripted Agents, you help us give you more accurate account statistics and in-world search results.

Traffic

Traffic is a numerical metric calculated for every parcel of land in-world. We can summarize this score as the cumulative minutes spent on the parcel by all visitors to the parcel on the previous day (Pacific Time, US). For details, see Guidelines for creating search listings in the Knowledge Base.

Using Scripted Agents to "game" or boost traffic is prohibited.

You may not attempt to gain an unfair advantage in search results through the use of Scripted Agents to inflate the traffic for a parcel. This policy applies to both mainland and private estates, as Second Life search includes both. Please refer to the Second Life Terms and Conditions, section 5.i.

Scripted Agent Communications

Some Scripted Agents are used to automate communications with parcel visitors, and to provide interactive services for other Residents. These types of Scripted Agents can enhance the Second Life experience.

Every chat message, IM, inventory offer, group notice, group IM, and group invitation creates an additional load on Second Life’s communications services. There is an upper limit where Scripted Agents consume excessive resources and threaten to decrease the quality of service for others.

Sending an excessive number of messages with Scripted Agents is not allowed.

You may not use Scripted Agents to send more than 5,000 messages in a calendar day. All Scripted Agents operated by a single user share a common limit.

For example, the following activities are violations of this policy:

Scripted Agents causing unreasonable load on search or the regions in which they operate.
Scripted Agents causing a nuisance by regularly getting stuck at welcome areas or InfoHubs. This includes the use of large numbers of Scripted Agents to get around the throttling of search requests.
Scripted Agents joining groups and sending group IMs or notices such that more than 5,000 individual messages will be received.
A single Scripted Agent sending more than 5,000 individual messages in a calendar day.
Using multiple Scripted Agents to send an aggregate of more than 5,000 individual messages in a calendar day.

Mainland Purchase

Some Scripted Agents have been used to automate the purchase of Mainland parcels priced below fair market values.

Using Scripted Agents to purchase Mainland parcels is prohibited.

The use of Scripted Agents that circumvent, automate and/or remove the human interaction required to purchase a Land parcel within Second Life on the Linden Lab owned Mainland is prohibited.

Reporting violations of the Mainland Purchase policy is crucial to helping Linden Lab with enforcement. To report a potential violation, we ask that Residents please use the in-world Report Abuse function and file it under the category Disturbing the Peace. When the Governance team receives a report, the team reviews it and performs an investigation to determine whether a violation has taken place.

Privacy Preference Integrity

Second Life provides a set of privacy controls, such as limiting who can communicate with a Resident, who can see another Resident’s online status, who can discover their location within Second Life, and whether profiles are published on publicly visible web pages. Scripted Agents may not circumvent these privacy controls.

Enforcement of Scripted Agent Policy

Reporting violations of the Scripted Agent policy is crucial to helping Linden Lab with enforcement. To report a potential violation, we ask that Residents please use the in-world Report Abuse function and file it under the category Disturbing the Peace. When the Governance team receives a report, the team reviews it and performs an investigation to determine whether a violation has taken place. For additional guidance on filing an Abuse Report, please refer to Filing an Abuse Report

Violations of this policy may result in suspension and/or termination of your account. If you feel there has been an unfair decision in this regard, use the Abuse Appeals process.

Personal Data and Privacy Rights

Data transferred outside of the Second Life service or its supporting websites is not exempt from protection under applicable data privacy laws. This applies whether data is collected by Scripted Agents, LSL scripts, or external tools. Access to the Second Life service and access to Personal Data of Second Life Residents are both conditioned on adherence to all applicable global privacy regulations governing the collection, storage, processing, or transmission of Personal Data. These laws include Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). We recommend that you seek guidance from a privacy attorney for additional, updated information before using Personal Data of Second Life Residents outside of Second Life.

Understanding Personal Data in Second Life

See our Using Personal Data page for data privacy considerations for Second Life Residents.

Enforcement of Privacy Rights

This policy requires that third parties fully comply with applicable global privacy regulations. Linden Lab reserves the right to act where we see evidence of non-compliance with the Scripted Agent Policy or applicable privacy regulations. At our discretion, enforcement may include removing violating Scripted Agents and supporting scripts from Second Life, requesting explanations of Personal Data activities, requesting changes to how Automated Access mechanisms function, or suspending or terminating service.

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-The following is taken from the text of [https://blogs.secondlife.com/community/land/blog/2009/04/23/conclusion-to-the-blog-post-on-bots a post to the official Second Life Blog] made to set policy on bots on April 23, 2009.
+{{KBmaster}}
+{{Policy Nav}}
-=='''Camping or Traffic Bots'''==
+==Overview==
+This policy summarizes Linden Lab's policy on Scripted Agents. The policy covers all forms of Scripted Agents, such as bots, NPCs, and inviters. Any script or program that automates access to Second Life and its supporting web services through interfaces designed for the Second Life Viewer and its embedded browser is considered a Scripted Agent.
+Second Life allows Scripted Agents with legitimate uses, but inappropriate uses are violations of this policy. The goal of this policy is to increase the fairness and reliability of Second Life’s search and communications services, to protect the privacy of Second Life Residents, and to make Scripted Agent developers and operators aware that the same global privacy regulations that apply when collecting Personal Data through websites apply when collecting data through Second Life.
+==Identification==
+'''Set scripted agent status'''
+Scripted Agents, often called bots, are avatars controlled by computer programs rather than people. See the Overview above for a fuller description.
+If you own a Second Life account primarily operating as a Scripted Agent, you must specify this on the Scripted Agent Status page. By identifying Scripted Agents, you help us give you more accurate account statistics and in-world search results.
+==Traffic==
+Traffic is a numerical metric calculated for every parcel of land in-world. We can summarize this score as the cumulative minutes spent on the parcel by all visitors to the parcel on the previous day (Pacific Time, US). For details, see Guidelines for creating search listings in the Knowledge Base.
+'''Using Scripted Agents to "game" or boost traffic is prohibited.'''
+:You may not attempt to gain an unfair advantage in search results through the use of Scripted Agents to inflate the traffic for a parcel. This policy applies to both mainland and private estates, as Second Life search includes both.  Please refer to the Second Life Terms and Conditions, section 5.i.
+==Scripted Agent Communications==
+Some Scripted Agents are used to automate communications with parcel visitors, and to provide interactive services for other Residents. These types of Scripted Agents can enhance the Second Life experience.
+Every chat message, IM, inventory offer, group notice, group IM, and group invitation creates an additional load on Second Life’s communications services. There is an upper limit where Scripted Agents consume excessive resources and threaten to decrease the quality of service for others.
+'''Sending an excessive number of messages with Scripted Agents is not allowed.'''
+:You may not use Scripted Agents to send more than 5,000 messages in a calendar day. All Scripted Agents operated by a single user share a common limit.
+For example, the following activities are violations of this policy:
+* Scripted Agents causing unreasonable load on search or the regions in which they operate.
+* Scripted Agents causing a nuisance by regularly getting stuck at welcome areas or InfoHubs. This includes the use of large numbers of Scripted Agents to get around the throttling of search requests.
+* Scripted Agents joining groups and sending group IMs or notices such that more than 5,000 individual messages will be received.
+* A single Scripted Agent sending more than 5,000 individual messages in a calendar day.
+* Using multiple Scripted Agents to send an aggregate of more than 5,000 individual messages in a calendar day.
+==Mainland Purchase==
+Some Scripted Agents have been used to automate the purchase of Mainland parcels priced below fair market values.
+'''Using Scripted Agents to purchase Mainland parcels is prohibited.'''
+:The use of Scripted Agents that circumvent, automate and/or remove the human interaction required to purchase a Land parcel within Second Life on the Linden Lab owned Mainland is prohibited.
+Reporting violations of the Mainland Purchase policy is crucial to helping Linden Lab with enforcement. To report a potential violation, we ask that Residents please use the in-world Report Abuse function and file it under the category Disturbing the Peace. When the Governance team receives a report, the team reviews it and performs an investigation to determine whether a violation has taken place.
+==Privacy Preference Integrity==
+Second Life provides a set of privacy controls, such as limiting who can communicate with a Resident, who can see another Resident’s online status, who can discover their location within Second Life, and whether profiles are published on publicly visible web pages. Scripted Agents may not circumvent these privacy controls.
+==Enforcement of Scripted Agent Policy==
+Reporting violations of the Scripted Agent policy is crucial to helping Linden Lab with enforcement. To report a potential violation, we ask that Residents please use the in-world Report Abuse function and file it under the category Disturbing the Peace. When the Governance team receives a report, the team reviews it and performs an investigation to determine whether a violation has taken place.  For additional guidance on filing an Abuse Report, please refer to Filing an Abuse Report
+Violations of this policy may result in suspension and/or termination of your account.  If you feel there has been an unfair decision in this regard, use the Abuse Appeals process.
+==Personal Data and Privacy Rights==
+Data transferred outside of the Second Life service or its supporting websites is not exempt from protection under applicable data privacy laws. This applies whether data is collected by Scripted Agents, LSL scripts, or external tools. Access to the Second Life service and access to Personal Data of Second Life Residents are both conditioned on adherence to all applicable global privacy regulations governing the collection, storage, processing, or transmission of Personal Data. These laws include Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). We recommend that you seek guidance from a privacy attorney for additional, updated information before using Personal Data of Second Life Residents outside of Second Life.
+==Understanding Personal Data in Second Life==
+See our {{LLOlink|Using Personal Data}} page for data privacy considerations for Second Life Residents.
+==Enforcement of Privacy Rights==
+This policy requires that third parties fully comply with applicable global privacy regulations. Linden Lab reserves the right to act where we see evidence of non-compliance with the Scripted Agent Policy or applicable privacy regulations. At our discretion, enforcement may include removing violating Scripted Agents and supporting scripts from Second Life, requesting explanations of Personal Data activities, requesting changes to how Automated Access mechanisms function, or suspending or terminating service.
+==Further Reading==
+* [https://www.lindenlab.com/privacy Linden Lab Privacy Policy]
+* [https://community.secondlife.com/knowledgebase/english/privacy-concerns-r606/ Second Life Knowledgebase: Privacy concerns]
+* {{LLOlink|Residents' privacy rights}}
-Almost everyone agrees that using Bots to manipulate traffic (and therefore Search rankings) is unfair. Not only with respect to Search itself but also due to the load on Mainland Region resources and how that can impact other Residents in the area. Therefore we are setting policy that attempting to gain an unfair Search advantage, by the use of Bots to inflate the Traffic for a parcel, will be considered a violation. This policy applies to both Mainland and Private Estates as both are represented in Search.
-==='''How will this be enforced?'''===
-This time next week we will begin to routinely look at the Search results and where we find clear use of Bots to gain an unfair Search advantage we will be handling it as an abuse issue. We will ''not'' need you to abuse report this, instead we will monitor the Search results. To begin with we will message the land owner to issue a warning, but this will escalate to an account suspension or removal from Search if it persists. The usual Abuse-appeals process will be available for anyone that feels that the decision is unfair. We will not be banning or removing Bots from Second Life. There are many amazing and useful ways to use Bots and the fact that in some circumstances they can be misused should not impact the more constructive users of Bots. We wouldn't remove Scripting because it can sometimes be used in bad ways, and Bots are no different in that respect. Going forward we are going to look at ways to allow you to voluntarily identify to us that an account is a Bot, so that we can remove it from Traffic completely. We will continue to strive toward providing more statistical data to land owners, including the number of visitors they receive. However, the way these statistics relate to Search ranking will be changing. In the next few months, we will be making both technical and policy changes to the way relevance and ranking works in Search. The "traffic" score will be only one aspect of the ranking logic, and it will be scrubbed and weighted to account for gaming vectors. Our goals will be to (1) provide an informative and delightful search experience for all residents, and (2) increase fairness and reliability of the Search service for people who place listings. So Traffic will remain as part of Search ranking. Stay tuned to the blog to learn more about Search improvements and to join the discussion.
-=='''Now we come to Land Bots'''==
-We know that being able to safely transfer Land between accounts is very important and so we have decided to provide a safe way to do this on the website, later in 2009 . In addition we also intend to move other forms of Land sale to the website, including allowing auctions between residents for the first time which we're really excited about. We'll be talking more about this soon. So for now we are not going to remove Land Bots; we expect that as we develop the web tools further, by the end of 2009 Land Bots will cease to work as far as buying up parcels is concerned. In the meantime, where we see Land Bots causing unreasonable load on Search or the regions they operate in, or where they cause nuisance by regularly getting stuck at welcome areas or infohubs, that will be dealt with as a violation. That also includes the use of large numbers of Land Bots to get around the throttling of Search requests. So to summarize..
-* Use of Bots to game Traffic will be considered a violation.
-* Bots are fine and we totally support their good use inworld, but we will deal with inappropriate use of them.
-* Traffic has value as a land metric, and will remain.
-* Responsible use of Land Bots is acceptable for now, but overuse will result in further action.
 [[Category:Policies]]
-[[Category:Knowledge Base]]