Linden Lab Official:Scripted Agent Policy
Overview
This document summarizes Linden Lab's policy on bots. The goals of this policy are to:
- Provide an informative and delightful search experience for all Residents
- Increase fairness and reliability of the search service for people who place listings.
Setting scripted agent status
If you own a Second Life account that is primarily operated by a Scripted Agent (a "bot"), please identify it as a bot on the Scripted Agent Status page. By identifying bots, you can help us give you more accurate account statistics and inworld search results.
Camping or traffic bots
Attempting to gain an unfair search advantage through the use of bots to inflate the traffic for a parcel is a violation of this policy. This policy applies to both mainland and private estates since both are represented in search.
Enforcement
Linden Lab routinely look at search results, and where we find clear use of bots to gain an unfair search advantage, we handle it as an abuse issue. You do not need to file an abuse report for violations; Linden Lab monitors the search results.
To begin with, Linden Lab sends a message to the land owner to issue a warning; escalating to an account suspension or removal from search if it persists. If you feel there has been an unfair decision in this regard, use the abuse appeals process.
Summary
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.