[sldev] Linden Lab Navigations and Landmark Project

[Matthew Dowd]

In order to use libSL you need to sign up an account, i.e. sign up to the ToS. LL could outlaw the mass publication/dissemination of profile information obtained via LibSL as a ToS/CS violation in the same way it outlaws the use of LibSL for theft etc. There are no such controls on data published on a publically accessible website.
 
How many of those people for whom LL now publishes their profiles explicitly gave LL permission to do so (beyond any catch-all clauses in the ToS) or even realise that LL does! Before the new search there was a checkbox "Show on web" for explicit permission from the user before the profile was web accessible. That vanished with the new search implementation - being replaces by a "Show in Search" checkbox with no indication that "Show in Search" also makes your profile accessible over the web by people who do not have SL acounts, and who are not bound by the SL ToS and CS. My recollection is that the "Show in Search" checkbox is on by default - even for accounts which had previously had the "Show on Web" box unchecked!
 
The fact that LL took action against someone using the profile information published on the web within SL itself, shows some confusion within LL over their publication of this data!
 
In a nutshell, having profiles (and other in world information) available via world.secondlife.com without explicit opt in permission, and without the ability to opt out without losing in world functionality (in this case appearing in the new search) is a bug (in the sense of an undesired feature) of the new search: a bug best avoided rather than copied by other developments.
 
Matthew



> Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:33:28 +0100> From: me at signpostmarv.name> To: secret.argent at gmail.com> Subject: Re: [sldev] Linden Lab Navigations and Landmark Project> CC: sldev at lists.secondlife.com> > BTW, I *only* use data that Linden Lab publishes in the web now- if I > used libSecondLife, I'd be able to get profile data for those who hadn't > opted to allow Linden Lab to publish their profiles out of world.> > I have previously used the eventful.com API to get events data, but now > I'm using solely first-party sources, albeit 3 *different* first-party > sources, due to the inconsistency with which the data is presented.> > ~ Marv> > Argent Stonecutter wrote:> > On 2008-04-20, at 09:14, SignpostMarv Martin wrote:> >> Just curious what your thoughts are on 3rd parties (such as myself) > >> reusing the world.secondlife.com data on their own sites ?> >> > I think they should only be available on world.secondlife.com if the > > user chooses, but given that they are available I don't see any useful > > purpose in restricting what "good guys" do with them, since bad guys > > will do unto them regardless.> >> >> > _______________________________________________> > Click here to unsubscribe or manage your list subscription:> > /index.html> >
_________________________________________________________________
Welcome to the next generation of Windows Live
http://www.windowslive.co.uk/get-live
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.secondlife.com/pipermail/sldev/attachments/20080420/062ba165/attachment-0001.htm