Difference between revisions of "Linden Lab Official:Adult Content FAQ"

Latest revision as of 08:52, 6 May 2024

Conduct Guidelines

Privacy

Overview

This article provides clarifications to the basic information on adult content provided in the SL Knowledge Base:

Important: The information here is not intended to cover every possible situation or question. Linden Lab reserves the right to review individual cases and make determinations based on specific circumstances in line with general policies.

Frequently asked questions

What does "advertises or publicly promotes" mean?

The maturity ratings distinguish between publicly-promoted adult content, required to be on Adult regions, and non-public adult content, such as private homes with a sex bed, that can be located on Moderate land.

Adult activities cannot be advertised or publicly promoted on Moderate land. Such activity must occur privately, behind closed doors on Moderate land (see below), and is forbidden on General land. These restrictions apply regardless of whether the parcel has hidden avatars.

Advertising for SL search using adult words clearly requires being on Adult land. Other examples of advertising or publicly-promoting include renting signs inworld, listing on events, buying ads in newspapers, or distributing flyers or notecards to passersby.

Private invitations to friends are not considered advertising or promoting. Inviting everyone in a small private group that you control is not considered advertising. However, inviting everyone in a public group can be considered a promotional effort.

What does "behind closed doors" mean?

Adult activity on Moderate land must be conducted "behind closed doors," meaning that you must make every reasonable effort to ensure that the parcel is private. This means:

Allow only a group or specific individuals access to the parcel. If it is group-access only, the group must not be freely open to join.
Hide avatars (turn off avatar visibility) for the parcel.
Enclose the area behind walls or other visual barriers.

Can a parcel be not entirely Adult?

There are several ways a parcel can be partly Adult and partly Moderate:

Mixed content in a public area: for example, a store that sells a variety of items, some of which are adult in nature, but those are not advertised explicitly or provided for public adult usage on the parcel. This would require a Moderate rating.
Mixed public and private use of a parcel: for example, a store at ground level which only sells non-adult items, and a private skybox above with restricted access (as described above), which contains sex furniture. The landing point is at the ground level store only. This would require a Moderate rating.
Mixed use by time: for example, a parcel that is normally a private residence, but occasionally advertises an adult event. This would require an Adult rating. If on Moderate land, the event must not be advertised and must be kept behind closed doors.

Is simple nudity without sex Adult?

Depending on context, nudity may not require an Adult rating. For example all of the following could be rated Moderate:

A nude beach without sexual activity.
Skin vendors showing a nude skin to display the product.
Nude art that is not sexual.
Strip clubs that do not use adult words in search or host sex furniture.

Depending on the context, exposed genitalia may not be considered Adult. For example:

Hanging out at a nude beach would be fine.
Walking around pants-less on the mainland could be inappropriate.

Non-sexualized depictions of nudity are Moderate NOT Adult.

What about strip clubs?

Strip clubs in general are Moderate. However, they are Adult if they:

Use adult keywords in listings and in search.
Have sex balls and backroom sex areas.

What words are filtered in search?

We do not provide a full list of filtered adult words. However, anyone can test individual words on the Second Life Search page or with inworld search. Certain words are always filtered, regardless of maturity setting; additional words are filtered when the adult checkbox is not selected.

Are child avatars allowed on Adult regions?

No. Please see the policy prohibiting sexual ageplay.

What about profiles?

Content in profiles must be General, and must obey the Terms of Service and Community Standards.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{KBwarning|This is a draft of a proposed "Official Adult Content FAQ."  It is currently a working draft and is not "official" yet.}}
+{{Conduct Nav}}
-Please add questions and comments to the [[{{TALKPAGENAME}}|talk page]].
 == Overview ==
@@ Line 10: / Line 7: @@
 * [http://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Age-verification-parcel-and-estate-management-features/ta-p/700023 Age verification parcel and estate management features ]
 * [http://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Maturity-ratings-and-search/ta-p/828865 Maturity ratings and search]
+<br>
+{{KBcaution|The information here is not intended to cover every possible situation or question.  Linden Lab reserves the right to review individual cases and make determinations based on specific circumstances in line with general policies.}}
+== Frequently asked questions ==
-{{KBcaution|The information here is not intended to cover every possible situation or question.  Linden Lab reserves the right to review individual cases and make determinations based on specific circumstances in line with general policies.}}
+===What does "advertises or publicly promotes" mean?===
-== Frequently asked questions ==
+The maturity ratings distinguish between publicly-promoted adult content, required to be on '''Adult'''&nbsp;regions, and non-public adult content, such as private homes with a sex bed, that can be located on&nbsp;'''Moderate'''&nbsp;land.
-=== What does "advertises or publicly promotes" mean? ===
-The maturity ratings distinguish between publicly-promoted adult content, required to be on '''Adult''' regions, and implicitly non-public adult content, such as private homes with a sex bed, that can be located on '''Moderate''' land.
+Adult activities cannot be advertised or publicly promoted on&nbsp;'''Moderate'''&nbsp;land. Such activity must occur privately, behind closed doors on&nbsp;'''Moderate'''&nbsp;land (see below), and is forbidden on&nbsp;'''General''' land. These restrictions apply regardless of whether the parcel has [http://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Hiding-avatars-and-restricting-avatar-sounds/ta-p/999779 hidden avatars].
-Adult activities cannot be advertised or publicly promoted on '''Moderate''' land.  Such activity must occur privately, behind closed doors on '''Moderate''' land (see below), and is forbidden on '''General''' land.   These restrictions apply regardless of whether the parcel has [http://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Hiding-avatars-and-restricting-avatar-sounds/ta-p/999779 hidden avatars].
+Advertising for SL search using adult words clearly requires being on '''Adult''' land. Other examples of advertising or publicly-promoting include renting signs inworld, listing on events, buying ads in newspapers, or distributing flyers or notecards to passersby.
-Advertising for SL search using adult words clearly requires being on '''Adult''' land. Other ways to advertise or promote include renting signs inworld, listing on events, buying ads in newspapers, distributing flyers or notecards to passersby, and so on.
+Private invitations to friends are not considered advertising or promoting. Inviting everyone in a small private group that you control is not considered advertising. However, inviting everyone in a public group can be considered a promotional effort.
-Private invitations to friends are not considered advertising or promoting. Inviting everyone in a small private group that you control would probably not be considered advertising. However, inviting everyone in a public group would most likely be considered a promotional effort.
+===What does "behind closed doors" mean?===
-=== What does "behind closed doors" mean? ===
+Adult activity on Moderate land must be conducted "behind closed doors," meaning that you must make every reasonable effort to ensure that the parcel is private. This means:
-Adult activity on Moderate land must be conducted "behind closed doors," meaning that you must make every reasonable effort to ensure that the parcel is private.  The parcel should be:
+* Allow only a group or specific individuals access to the parcel. If it is group-access only, the group must '''not''' be freely open to join.
-* Set to group or specific individual access only.
+* [http://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Hiding-avatars-and-restricting-avatar-sounds/ta-p/999779 Hide avatars] (turn off avatar visibility) for the parcel.
-* [http://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Hiding-avatars-and-restricting-avatar-sounds/ta-p/999779#Hiding_avatars Hide avatars] (turn off avatar visibility) for the parcel.
 * Enclose the area behind walls or other visual barriers.
-* If the land is group-access only, the group should not be freely open to join.
-=== Parcels that are not entirely Adult ===
+===Can a parcel be not entirely Adult?===
-There are several ways a parcel can be not entirely adult:
+There are several ways a parcel can be partly '''Adult''' and partly '''Moderate''':
-* '''Mixed content in a public area''': for example, a store that sells a variety of items, some of which are adult in nature, but those are not advertised explicitly or provided for public adult usage. This would require a '''Moderate''' rating.
+* '''Mixed content in a public area''': for example, a store that sells a variety of items, some of which are adult in nature, but those are not advertised explicitly or provided for public adult usage on the parcel. This would require a '''Moderate''' rating.
-* '''Mixed public and private use of a parcel''': for example, a store at ground level which only sells non-adult items, and a skybox above, which is residential, and contains sex furniture. The landing point is at the store only. This would require a '''Moderate''' rating.
+* '''Mixed public and private use of a parcel''': for example, a store at ground level which only sells non-adult items, and a private skybox above with restricted access ([[#What_does_.22behind_closed_doors.22_mean.3F|as described above]]), which contains sex furniture. The landing point is at the ground level store only. This would require a '''Moderate''' rating.
-* '''Mixed use by time''': for example, a parcel that is normally a private residence, but occasionally advertises an adult event. This would require an '''Adult''' rating.   If on '''Moderate''' land, the event must not be advertised and must be kept behind closed doors.
+* '''Mixed use by time''': for example, a parcel that is normally a private residence, but occasionally advertises an adult event. This would require an '''Adult''' rating. If on '''Moderate''' land, the event must not be advertised and must be kept behind closed doors.
-=== Is simple nudity without sex Adult?===
+===Is simple nudity without sex Adult?===
-Depending on context, nudity may not necessarily require an '''Adult''' rating.  For example all of the following could be rated '''Moderate''':
+Depending on context, nudity may not require an '''Adult''' rating. For example all of the following could be rated '''Moderate''':
-* A nude beach without sexual activity.
-* Skin vendors showing a nude skin to display the product, without specifically sexual content.
-* Nude art that is not sexual.
-* Strip clubs that do not use adult words in search or host sex furniture .
-Non-erect genitalia may not be considered Adult, depending on the context.
+* A nude beach without sexual activity.
-For example:
+* Skin vendors showing a nude skin to display the product.
-* Hanging out at a nude beach would be fine.
+* Nude art that is not sexual.
-* Walking around pants-less on the mainland just to expose yourself to others would be inappropriate.
+* Strip clubs that do not use adult words in search or host sex furniture.<sup> </sup>
-Non-sexualized depictions of nudity (basically, the images most skin-makers tend to use) are '''Moderate''' NOT '''Adult'''.
+Depending on the context, exposed genitalia may not be considered Adult. For example:
-'''References''':
+* Hanging out at a nude beach would be fine.
+* Walking around pants-less on the mainland could be inappropriate.<sup> </sup>
-* [http://forums-archive.secondlife.com/352/11/314444/159.html#post2399231 SL forums archive, Blondin Linden, 04-22-2009 11:18].
+Non-sexualized depictions of nudity are '''Moderate''' NOT '''Adult'''.
-* [http://forums-archive.secondlife.com/352/de/311513/11.html#post2354253 SL forums archive, Blondin Linden, 03-13-2009 12:59] simple nudity, with explicitly depicted but non-erect genitals, is not automatically "adult".
+===What about strip clubs?===
-===Strip clubs===
+Strip clubs in general are '''Moderate'''. However, they are '''Adult''' if they:
-Strip clubs in general are '''Moderate'''.  However, they are '''Adult''' if they:
 * Use adult keywords in listings and in search.
-* Have sex balls and backroom sex areas.
+* Have sex balls and backroom sex areas.<sup> </sup>
-Reference: [http://forums-archive.secondlife.com/352/11/314444/159.html#post2399239 SL forums archive, Blondin Linden, 04-22-2009 11:23].
+===What words are filtered in search?===
-=== What words are filtered in search? ===
+We do not provide a full list of filtered adult words. However, anyone can test individual words on the [http://search.secondlife.com/search.php Second Life Search] page or with inworld search. Certain words are always filtered, regardless of maturity setting; additional words are filtered when the adult checkbox is not selected.
-To prevent "gaming" of search results, we do not provide a full list of filtered adult words.  Nonetheless, anyone can test individual words on the [http://search.secondlife.com/search.php Second Life Search] page or with inworld search. Certain words are always filtered, regardless of maturity setting; additional words are filtered when the adult checkbox is not selected.
+===Are child avatars allowed on Adult regions?===
-=== Are child avatars allowed on Adult regions? ===
+No. Please see the {{LLOlink|Clarification_of_policy_disallowing_ageplay|policy prohibiting sexual ageplay}}.
-Yes, child avatars are allowed in '''Adult''' regions, as long as they are controlled by a person who has [http://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Age-verification/ta-p/700021 verified themselves to be at least 18 years old]. However, the {{LLOlink|Clarification of policy disallowing ageplay|policy prohibiting sexual ageplay}} and rules against proximity to sexual content still apply.
+===What about profiles?===
-Since '''Adult''' regions by design will often contain sexual content, child avatars should use caution in visiting '''Adult''' regions.
+Content in profiles must be '''General''', and must obey the [http://secondlife.com/corporate/tos.php Terms of Service] and [http://secondlife.com/corporate/cs.php Community Standards].