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

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==Overview==


This document summarizes Linden Lab's policy on bots.
==Introduction==
The goals of this policy is to increase fairness and reliability of the search and communications services.


=== Traffic and bots ===
This guide gives a brief introduction to privacy considerations for Personal Data of Second Life Residents. It is not a replacement for reading applicable global privacy regulations, but it may guide you to make informed decisions that respect the privacy rights of Second Life Residents.
''Traffic'' is a numerical metric calculated for every parcel of land inworld. This score can be summarized as the cumulative minutes spent on the parcel by all visitors to the parcel within the previous day (PT).  For details, see [http://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Guidelines-for-creating-search-listings/ta-p/803947#What_is_traffic_and_what_role_does_it_play_in_search_rankings.3F Guidelines for creating search listings] in the Knowledge Base.


''Bots'', or scripted agents, are avatars controlled by computer programs rather than people.  For more information, see [[What is a bot?]].
==Privacy Rights of Second Life Residents==


In calculating traffic scores, the number of visitors include bots, which has led to their use to increase traffic scores and boost search rankings.
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.


=== Communications and bots ===
==What is Personal Data?==
To understand Personal Data, one first needs to understand Personally Identifiable Information.


Some bots are used to automate communications with parcel visitors, and to provide interactive services for human users. These types of bots can enhance the Second Life experience.
'''Personally Identifiable Information''', often abbreviated as PII, is information that is capable of identifying an individual user, account, computer, or household. Note that PII need not include the actual name of an individual. That the information can refer to any of the above alone or in conjunction with other data elements linkable with that information suffices to make it PII.


Every chat message, IM, inventory offer, group notice, group IM, and group invitation creates load on the Second Life communications services. There is an upper limit where bots consume excessive resources and threaten to decrease the quality of service for others.
* Examples: A username, an agent ID, an IP address, or a tracking cookie are all examples of PII.  


=== Mainland parcel sales and bots ===
'''Personal Data''' includes all PII. Any additional information that one links to this PII also becomes Personal Data.


Some bots are used to automate the purchase of Mainland parcels priced below fair market values.
* Examples: When one of the above examples of PII is combined with the contents of a Resident’s profile page, their online status, their chat, or their in-world travel behaviors, the PII and the linked data all become Personal Data.


== Policy ==
==Understanding Personal Data in Second Life==
Bots ''per se'', are allowed and have legitimate uses, but inappropriate uses are violations of this policy. 


Therefore:
After Residents consent to the Second Life Terms of Service and connected Privacy Policy, Second Life presents select information about Residents to each other within the Second Life environment. This presentation is for the sole purpose of facilitating interaction within Second Life. Without a separate agreement in place (for e.g. as a sub-processor or vendor), there is no default right that any third party has to collect, store, process, or transmit a Second Life Resident’s Personal Data outside of Second Life.
;Using bots to "game" traffic is not allowed


:You may not attempt to gain an unfair advantage in search results through the use of bots to inflate the traffic for a parcel. This policy applies to both mainland and private estates since both are represented in search.


===Third-Party Collection, Processing, or Storage of Personal Data===


;Sending an excessive number of messages with bots is not allowed.
In order to collect, store, process, or transmit Second Life user Personal Data, you must satisfy all applicable global privacy regulations.


:You may not use bots to send more than 5,000 messages in a calendar day. Messages to groups are counted as one message ''for every recipient in the group''. All bots operated by a single user share a common limit.
Please keep in mind that Second Life has a global customer base, and the applicable law usually is determined based on the Resident’s country or state of residence. Second Life does not disclose the location or state of residence of Residents. Third-party developers should seek counsel from a privacy attorney to obtain legal advice on complying with these laws before they use Personal Data of Second Life Residents.


For example, the following activities are violations of this policy:
==Objecting to the Use of Personal Data==
Linden Lab cannot govern activities that happen outside of the Second Life platform. Where Residents determine violations happen outside of Second Life, such as when Personal Data is presented on third-party websites without their consent, multiple options are available.


* Bots causing unreasonable load on search or the regions in which they operate.
Every Resident is encouraged to begin by contacting the individual operating the site in order to achieve a peaceful resolution. This can take the form of a personal request using an email address they provide for this purpose, or by submitting a form (usually called a Data Subject Access Request) on their website to request your information to be removed.
* Bots causing a nuisance by regularly getting stuck at welcome areas or infohubs. This includes the use of large numbers of land bots to get around the throttling of search requests.
* Bots joining groups and sending group IMs or notices such that more than 5,000 individual messages will be received.
* Bots sending more than 5,000 individual messages in a calendar day.
* Using multiple bots to send an aggregate of more than 5,000 individual messages in a calendar day.


Other options may include contacting regulators to file complaints against third-party websites, their hosting providers, or their content delivery networks where the site operator or hosting provider cannot be determined.


;Using bots to purchase Mainland parcels is not allowed
Residents of California can learn about their options here: [https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa]


:The use of bots, autonomous software, scripting (manual or automated), scripted agents, or any systems or software internal or external to the Second Life service 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.
Residents of the European Union and the UK can learn about their options here: [https://gdpr.eu/faq/]


==Set scripted agent status==
If you own a Second Life account that is primarily operated by a Scripted Agent (a "bot"), identify it as a bot on the [https://secondlife.com/my/account/sisa.php Scripted Agent Status] page.
By identifying bots, you can help us give you more accurate account statistics and inworld search results.


==Enforcement ==
==Further Reading==
 
* [https://www.lindenlab.com/privacy Linden Lab Privacy Policy]
Linden Lab routinely looks at search results, and will treat use of bots to gain an unfair search advantage as an abuse issue. You do not need to file an abuse report for violations; Linden Lab monitors the search results.
* [https://community.secondlife.com/knowledgebase/english/privacy-concerns-r606/ Second Life Knowledgebase: Privacy concerns]
 
* {{LLOlink|Residents' privacy rights}}
To begin, Linden Lab sends a warning message to the land owner. If the issue persists, then account suspension or removal from search may result.  If you feel there has been an unfair decision in this regard, use the abuse appeals process.
* [https://gdpr.eu/faq/ GDPR EU Compliance FAQ]
 
* [https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)]
Linden Lab routinely looks at message volume, and will treat use of bots to send excessive messages as an abuse issue. You do not need to file an abuse report for violations; Linden Lab monitors aggregate communication volume.


[[Category:Policies]]
[[Category:Policies]]

Revision as of 08:53, 30 March 2023

add versioning


Introduction

This guide gives a brief introduction to privacy considerations for Personal Data of Second Life Residents. It is not a replacement for reading applicable global privacy regulations, but it may guide you to make informed decisions that respect the privacy rights of Second Life Residents.

Privacy Rights of Second Life Residents

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.

What is Personal Data?

To understand Personal Data, one first needs to understand Personally Identifiable Information.

Personally Identifiable Information, often abbreviated as PII, is information that is capable of identifying an individual user, account, computer, or household. Note that PII need not include the actual name of an individual. That the information can refer to any of the above alone or in conjunction with other data elements linkable with that information suffices to make it PII.

  • Examples: A username, an agent ID, an IP address, or a tracking cookie are all examples of PII.

Personal Data includes all PII. Any additional information that one links to this PII also becomes Personal Data.

  • Examples: When one of the above examples of PII is combined with the contents of a Resident’s profile page, their online status, their chat, or their in-world travel behaviors, the PII and the linked data all become Personal Data.

Understanding Personal Data in Second Life

After Residents consent to the Second Life Terms of Service and connected Privacy Policy, Second Life presents select information about Residents to each other within the Second Life environment. This presentation is for the sole purpose of facilitating interaction within Second Life. Without a separate agreement in place (for e.g. as a sub-processor or vendor), there is no default right that any third party has to collect, store, process, or transmit a Second Life Resident’s Personal Data outside of Second Life.


Third-Party Collection, Processing, or Storage of Personal Data

In order to collect, store, process, or transmit Second Life user Personal Data, you must satisfy all applicable global privacy regulations.

Please keep in mind that Second Life has a global customer base, and the applicable law usually is determined based on the Resident’s country or state of residence. Second Life does not disclose the location or state of residence of Residents. Third-party developers should seek counsel from a privacy attorney to obtain legal advice on complying with these laws before they use Personal Data of Second Life Residents.

Objecting to the Use of Personal Data

Linden Lab cannot govern activities that happen outside of the Second Life platform. Where Residents determine violations happen outside of Second Life, such as when Personal Data is presented on third-party websites without their consent, multiple options are available.

Every Resident is encouraged to begin by contacting the individual operating the site in order to achieve a peaceful resolution. This can take the form of a personal request using an email address they provide for this purpose, or by submitting a form (usually called a Data Subject Access Request) on their website to request your information to be removed.

Other options may include contacting regulators to file complaints against third-party websites, their hosting providers, or their content delivery networks where the site operator or hosting provider cannot be determined.

Residents of California can learn about their options here: [1]

Residents of the European Union and the UK can learn about their options here: [2]


Further Reading

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