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On Thursday, May 2nd, 2024, Linden Lab issued the promised updates to both public-facing (i.e. linked to the Terms of Service) and internal policies.
These updates, together with additional internal changes (as noted below), have been made in the wake of investigations carried out in the wake of allegations made pseudonymously in February via the social journalism website Medium (and since removed).
In March, Linden Lab Executive Chairman Brad Oberwager (Oberwolf Linden) made a public statement on these matters indicating as much as was deemed necessary at the time (see my own reporting here, if interested), and that a further statement would be made in due course. It was further indicated by Keira Linden, speaking during a Lab Gab session released on April 19th, 2024 (and summarised in my own words here) that updates to policies were (then) being finalised, so the May 2nd statement – entitled Enhancing Our World Together – comes as no surprise.
Within it, Mr. Oberwager provides a short summary of the outcome of the investigations into the allegations made, before going on to summarise actions that have been / are being undertaken in the wake of those investigations, stating:
The investigation determined that all Lindens and contractors have stayed in compliance with our own community guidelines, as well as unwritten, ethical guidelines. I do not make this statement lightly, and I know there will be plenty of discussion. What I can say is that there is no incentive, monetary or otherwise, for me to mislead the community. At some point, the community has to trust that we, the Lindens, do well when the community thrives. We may make mistakes along the way, and we know that our community will engage with us when we do. Second Life is an enormous virtual world and we have to walk a very fine line between policing and preserving freedoms while also protecting the future growth and health of Second Life as a platform that respects diversity and creative expression among our community.
The findings did highlight opportunities for improvement. As a result, we are making updates to our internal policies to raise the standard for how Linden employees should respectfully engage with community members. This addresses multiple forms of engagement including how we present ourselves, how we interact with the community (even in moments of conflict), and how we minimize the perception of conflict of interest and favouritism in our interactions.
As a result, the Lab has:
- Updated the Child Avatar Policy related to the Second Life Terms of Service (ToS) – hence the need to re-accept the ToS on accessing Second Life or its related web properties.
- Updated internal Policies and Procedures
- Implemented personnel changes
- Initiated management improvement programs
- Committed to Community Roundtables (see below)
- Committed to increased transparency and accountability
In terms of the the changes to the Child Avatar Policy, the statement notes:
We know that this update has the potential to cause confusion or concern in our community, so we’ve prepared an FAQ which we will continue to update as questions come up.
Community Round Table
- The first of the Community Round Table events, as referenced in the statement and as previously announced by Linden Lab, will take place between 09:30-11:00 SLT on Monday, May 20th, 2024, although the venue still to be announced (at the time of writing).
- The event will feature Mr. Oberwager among those taking part from the Lab. It has been indicated that this event will have a focus on the acquisition of Tilia Inc., by Thunes, but also that reasonable questions / concerns on matter such as this might be addressed.
- At the time of writing, and anonymous form for those wishing to ask questions of the Lab / offer feedback / suggestions on improving Second Life remained open (but I would advise using it sooner rather than later, if you intend to do so).
- There will also be a Q&A portion during the Round Table at which questions / ideas can be put forward.
Please note: if you opt to comment on the Lab’s statement, as outlined in this article, please refrain from discussing / naming any individuals, whether or not they may be related to the matters pertaining thereto.