I follow a number of Second Life YouTubers using Feedbin (a handy tool which I wrote about here; what I like about it is that I can organize my viewing, and not have to deal with YouTube’s notorious recommendation algorithm).
Last night, I watched a video from a Second Life user who announced that they were stepping away from SL, and why. In the description of the video was a link to an anonymous article which had been published on Medium on Feb. 24th, 2024, and updated Feb, 29th, which makes some very serious and disturbing allegations against several Second Life users and companies, and some people employed by Linden Lab, the company who makes and runs Second Life.
The Feb. 29th update includes a link to this New World Notes blogpost by Wagner James Au, who has been a longtime chronicler of Second Life:
Confirmed: Linden Lab Investigating Serious Allegations Recently Posted to Social Media, Say Sources
In recent days the Second Life user community has been roiled by serious but unconfirmed allegations posted on various social media channels regarding Linden Lab operations.
I can now confirm through at least two highly credible sources that the company is indeed investigating these claims — both the accusations themselves and whether they have defamatory intent.
That’s really all that can be reported at the moment.
Wagner links to a discussion on the matter over on the r/secondlife subreddit on Reddit here. In both Wagner’s blog post and the Reddit thread, unlike the Second Life YouTube video which first led me down this rabbit hole, there is no link to the original Medium article, and I will not be sharing it here, because although the allegations made in the article are highly troubling, they are not proven, they are potentially defamatory, and the author of the article appears to be hiding behind an anonymous name and picture. (Medium has flagged the article with the warning “The following content was reported as a potential violation of Medium’s rules and is under investigation,” and the article may indeed be pulled completely from the website.)
However, the ripple effects of that Medium article are already spreading. It would appear that some Second Life users (like the content creator who first alerted me to this situation via their YouTube video) have decided that the allegations are serious enough that they will be leaving the platform, even if only temporarily.
And this morning, I noticed that one of the Second Life stores I regularly shop at, has announced via their store group:
Hello, we changed the vendor system and old gift cards will not work with the new vendors. To get a new gift card for the new vendors, I need you SEND ME A NOTECARD (only notecards) with this:
YOUR USERNAME (no display name)
NAME OF THE GIFT CARD YOU HAVE AND ITS CREDITI will be replacing, but it’s a lot of gift cards to do, so please be patient. I will be doing it ONLY until MARCH 31st.
I will now be checking the group notices of various SL store groups I belong to, to see if any other stores are taking similar action. This has the potential to become a serious mess (as if it weren’t already). It was at this point that I realized that I was not going to be able to ignore the issue, and I would have to write about it today, since the controversy does have the potential to significantly impact Second Life users, communities, and businesses.
And, like Wagner, that’s really all that I can report on for now. It would appear that Linden Lab is already investigating the allegations, and we will simply have to wait and see what happens, and what they have to say about all this. I hope and pray that this will not become a witch hunt, and I do not want to have to update my historical list of Second Life controversies and scandals. And I am feeling just absolutely sick at heart today.
UPDATE March 5th, 2024: Well, I just checked this evening before bed (almost exactly 48 hours after I first read it), and the anonymous article has been taken down from Medium, now giving the following error message:
Error 410: This post is under investigation or was found to be in violation of the Medium rules.
Please note that I had briefly linked to (and quoted from) another well-known Second Life blogger who had posted two lengthy blogposts about this whole kerfuffle, but then I realized that they had actually linked to the article on Medium, so I quickly removed the link to (and quote from) their blog from this post! In their opinion (and they had a LOT to say), this was a smear campaign against the people and businesses named, but I also removed the link to their blog posts because they actually named the people and companies who were being discussed in the article, and I did not feel comfortable doing that. (You’ll also note that I very carefully did not identify, or link to, the person who created YouTube video I previously mentioned, that led me down this dark and twisted rabbit hole in the first place.)
In fact, I am now second-guessing myself, wondering if I made the right call to write about this at all. There’s also been a lot of back-and-forth on the subject on the Second Life subreddit post I linked to up top, where the moderators have done an excellent job to not allow any discussion of the dark, indelicate details of this particular incident, while still talking about the issues in a more general, non-specific way (much as I have tried to do, although I’m not 100% certain that I was successful).
This is not the first time when the lines between a hobbyist blogger and a journalist get awfully blurred. I have learned in the past that things I write here on my blog have consequences, and sometimes those consequences are painful, both for me and for the people, places, and companies I write about. At the same time, this is a blog about (as the tagline states) “news and views” in social VR, virtual worlds, and the metaverse, and it could be argued that this is news (albeit very depressing news, regarding a subject that is clearly illegal and punishable by law, if it is found to be true).
And that’s the whole point of this: IF this is true. At this point, all we have are allegations, which (because of people like the YouTube creator who I won’t name, Wagner James Au, myself, and the other blogger who I won’t name), have played a part in disseminating information about this situation (if not the specific details themselves). Where do you draw the line?
UPDATE March 20th, 2024: This afternoon, Linden Lab’s Executive Chairman, Bad Oberwager, released the following official statement, which I am reproducing in full below:
I want to take this opportunity to speak directly to the Second Life community. Thank you for being part of this wonderful world and giving us the time to carefully assess our situation after we became the subject of a blog post that has the potential to cause harm to our dedicated community members and the virtual world platform that so many people call “home.”
The post contains a complex mix of accusations regarding Second Life, and it questions our strong dedication to maintaining a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for all members of the Second Life community.
Our Response to the Allegations
At the heart of the blog post were unsettling accusations about sexualized, virtual avatar ageplay, including alleged violations of our community guidelines. I want to be clear: we have a zero-tolerance policy against sexualized ageplay. The safety and integrity of the Second Life platform are paramount to us, especially concerning the protection of minors.
We will continue to enforce our existing governance policies and community standards and we are proud of our collaboration with law enforcement and organizations like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to combat child exploitation. These efforts underscore our commitment to a safe online environment.
With that said, I want to acknowledge that we can do better; this has been a harsh wake-up call for us that we need to take tangible actions to improve Second Life’s governance policies and protective features that benefit the entire community.
Our Actions Moving Forward
I promise you that we are taking this very seriously. Very. Full stop.
I promise we hear you. We know you’re angry and you’re confused. We are working to do our best to resolve your concerns and restore your trust in us. These are complicated issues and we want to do things right. We will make mistakes along the way. I wish I could say we will not, but we will.
As owner of Linden Lab, I have initiated a thorough investigation, both internally and with external partners, to review whether or not there have been any violations of our company and community policies by employees, contractors, or community members. While early preliminary internal investigations suggest that some of the accusations are unfounded, I want to make sure that we get additional investigative support externally to ensure that the process is fair and thorough.
One of our top priorities has been to ensure the safety of our residents, moles, employees, and families. There are real people behind the avatars, and it has been important to confirm that nobody was in actual physical danger.
Additionally, I am taking proactive steps to review and revamp many of our policies, including a comprehensive review of our Community Standards, Content Guidelines, and Ageplay Policy. Any violation detected will be met with swift enforcement actions to protect our community. We’ll be sharing these revised policies in the coming weeks and, critically, we are turning to the community to help us shape the future of how governance operates within Second Life.
Our Commitment to You
Second Life remains a vibrant platform for expression, creativity, and connection. I and the Second Life team are deeply committed to protecting our community and ensuring that Second Life continues to be a safe, inclusive, and welcoming space for everyone. Your trust is our priority, and we pledge to work tirelessly to maintain and enhance the integrity of our virtual world.
I appreciate the patience and support of our community as we navigate this challenge. Together, we will emerge stronger and more united in our mission to build the best possible virtual world experience.
Brad Oberwager
Linden Lab Executive Chairman
Please note: I haven’t had time to fully read and absorb everything in this official statement, but I did want to share it as an update to my original blogpost.
Linden Lab’s Management Board page is back up.