Linden Lab Official:Age Verification FAQ
This article answers some frequently asked questions about age verification and its use in Second Life.
What is the age verification beta release?
Age verification is a new feature that is now available in a beta release. It is a means of verifying that you are an adult in real life by matching information you provide against public records. While it's in beta, we ask that you be patient as we continue to improve the feature to better meet your needs. Any issues you have should be directed to the Second Life Support Portal.
Why do we need it?
While not foolproof, age verification can provide an additional layer of trust for inworld businesses and Residents. It also helps ensure that minors can't gain access to inappropriate adult, mature content in Second Life.
Why are you doing this now?
The growing popularity of Second Life gives rise to the need to add measures of security so that Second Life remains a safe environment for all Residents. We also want to make sure that Residents have the tools they need to interact with the community in a way that works for them. In particular, many Residents who may wish to visit parcels with mature content desire some measure of confidence that minors will not be in those areas.
Who will need to verify their age?
Anyone wishing to enter land for which Residents and businesses have limited access to only those Residents who are verified adults. It's just like going into a bar: you need to prove your age.
What documents do I need to prove my identity?
Exact documents may vary depending on your country of residence, but may include:
- Passport
- Driver's license
- National ID number
- Social security number
Do I have to get age-verified?
No. This is completely voluntary. Becoming age-verified permits you to enter land in Second Life in which the landowner has limited access to only those who are verified adults. Residents who choose not to age-verify and do not visit land that requires age-verification should not see any difference in their Second Life experience.
How does it work?
Residents will provide a few simple details about their identity; generally, name, date of birth, and address. Additionally, Residents will be asked to provide specific identifying information, such as a driver's license number, passport or national ID card number, or the last four digits of a social security number (this is dependent on where geographically the Resident is based). This is then cross-checked against pre-existing databases of public record to verify that Residents are of legal age. Click here to get age-verified.
How do Estate and Parcel owners limit access to their land to only those who have verified that they're adults?
Estate and parcel owners now have the capability to limit access to age-verified Residents in the Estate and Parcel management tools. (See an upcoming Knowledge Base article for a detailed description of how to manage land access). Access to such flagged land will then be limited to age-verified Residents. Residents who are not age-verified will be blocked and will see a message about how to get age-verified.
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Note: This functionality is separate from region and parcel owners flagging their land for mature content. |
The mature content flag and age-verification feature offer various degrees of notice and protection to Residents. Flagging parcels for mature content provides notice to adults that content contained in the area may be objectionable to them. Banning non-age-verified residents provides an added layer of protection against minors who may have gained unauthorized access to the world of Second Life.
Will you store my personal information? Will it be kept private?
Absolutely no personal information that is supplied for age verification is stored or otherwise retained by Linden Lab or its verification partner Aristotle-Integrity. We keep only an indicator that tells us whether there was a positive match for the information you have provided.
Thus, this information will be used only for the purpose of verifying that a Resident is an adult, and will not be transferred or retained unless that is required by law, i.e., pursuant to a law enforcement investigation and proper legal process.
I'm outside the US. Does it work the same in each country?
The exact information required for age verification may vary from country to country, but the system works in generally the same way around the world.
Will the fact that I am "age verified" or "non age verified" be published or made available to other Residents?
Other Residents will not be able to view your age verification status -- for example, within your profile. However, if you are on a parcel that requires age verification, other Residents on that parcel (or having access to your location information) may be able to deduce that fact.
Why would an Estate or Parcel owner want to require age verification?
Estate and parcel owners would want to limit access to age-verified adults if on any regular or ongoing basis their land hosts, displays or encourages activities considered suitable for adults only, in particular, excessive violence or graphic sexual content.
What if I'm under 18?
If you are under 18, do NOT lie about your age or attempt to gain unauthorized access to our system. Instead, access Teen Second Life at http://teen.secondlife.com/. Take our word for it - you'll like TSL much better. Only Residents between the ages of 13 and 17 are allowed to access Teen Second Life, and there are incredible opportunities there to interact, learn, and be creative, without any adults to get in your way.
What if I don't want to get age-verified?
Residents over the age of 18 can choose to not get age-verified if they wish to remain in areas of Second Life that do not require age verification.
What if I come across very mature content on land that does not ban unverified adults?
As has occurred in other cases, we expect our Residents to report such activity. As has always been the case, Residents are morally, socially and legally responsible for their actions and content in Second Life. Clearly, any illegal activity or content will be investigated and appropriate action will be taken. We expect the community to continue to be effective and responsible in ensuring that Residents are sufficiently protected from potentially inappropriate and/or offensive content that is adult in nature.
What personal information will you store?
Linden Lab will not store any specific, identifying information. Our verification provider will assess the consistency of the provided information and return a match code; at that point, a Resident becomes verified. The entire process takes less than two minutes, and will be available internationally. Our verification provider will only use information to provide a match code and the only information stored by Linden Lab will be whether or not there was a match.
Do I have to pay for verification?
During the beta period, age verification will be free to Residents. No end date for the beta test has been specified. Once the beta test is over, a fee may be charged for getting age-verified, though no decision has been made around this.
Do I have to verify each avatar I use?
You will have to verify each separate avatar that you use, but there are no limits on the number of avatars you can have verified. This can all be done under the "my account" section of the Second Life Web site.
How can I be sure that my information will be treated securely when I enter it on the My Account section?
The data will be transmitted securely via SSL (Secure Socket Layer) to Integrity. This is a standard, secure way of transmitting data over the Web, and is used by many online businesses. For example: if you've ever paid a bill online, chances are it was with SSL in place.
What happens if I experience problems when I try to verify my identity?
The new age verification feature is in beta. Please be patient as we continue to improve the feature. We are committed to making sure the process is as smooth and user-friendly as possible; however, we understand that this represents a change for Residents. We have also tested the system extensively with our systems provider, Aristotle-Integrity, which has delivered this type of technology to other companies. If you continue to have problems verifying your identity, please go to the Second Life Support Portal and submit a ticket (select Special Questions - Basic account or Guest Login from the Ticket Type dropdown, select Account Issues from the next dropdown, and choose Manual Age Verification from the next).
Please attach electronic (scanned) copies of the following materials:
- Government issued identification that has your date of birth clearly displayed. This identification should be one or more of the following:
- Birth Certificate
- Driver's License
- Passport
- A utility bill with your name and address clearly displayed.
To attach a file to your ticket:
- Log into the Second Life Support Portal and click the My Support History tab.
- Click the Ticket # of the age verification ticket you submitted.
- Click the Comment button.
- Click the Attach a file link.
- Browse for the file on your computer and click Open.
- To attach another file, click the Attach another file link.
- Click the Submit button.
- The files you specified will be uploaded and attached to the ticket.
Please expect manual verification to take 5-7 working days.