be afraid
I think El Reg needs to look closer to home for the suspiciously pasty-faced. Especially those with an East European name.
http://www.ica.org.uk/Pirate%20Nation+18148.twl
Run for your lives: the vampires are coming! Or "spampires", as they are now referred to by many of the increasingly concerned inhabitants of Sadville. Of course it had to happen - once you tire of Second Life sex, the attraction of the dark side becomes overwhelming. Hence the rise of Bloodlines - a game that has been growing …
To be honest - this is an old issue, one that plagues newbie areas and places full of retards. The Bloodlines is just another scam, in the same way that you don't respond to Nigerians with a dead grandma and lots of money, you don't respond to bloodlines requests. As for the "Garlic" if you were venturing to a grubby area of the internet, you'd make sure you have a firewall and anti virus, your own security is your own issue, on any platform, on-line, or in a virtual environment.
Actually, I'd say this is much more akin to a simple permission issue: the basic question of whether your database runs on an opt-in or opt-out basis.
It looks different because its virtual worlds an such...but its much the same as you accessing a website...having your details harvested...and then being asked to opt-out of the ensuing spam.
If the web eventually gets a bit more virtual, this is going to be a growing issue, since those with a lesser grasp of Data Protection are going quite happily to opt people in to schemes "under guise" of something else.
I'll admit to being a resident of sadville, although only for playing guitar in-game. It's a fun hobby, lets me play and sing some tunes to a virtual audience. Pretty fun. That's about all I do on sadville besides talk with some friends and listen to other musicians play.
The vampire thing creeps me out a little. Overheard two of them just last night talking about fighting a werewolf. Conversation when something like this. "He took out my eye, so I ripped open his stomach. He should have known better than to mess with a vampire. He looked like this...", and then he played an animation of laying down like dead, complete with a blood splatter under him.
Oooookay... thanks... byebye now.
I just try to avoid the stranger parts of SL.
Come on everyone really.. it isnt up to the members of Second Life to deem what is a TOS breach or not at last check members of SL dont have the last name LINDEN it is these people who can say if the TOS was broken or not. and how much damage are they really doing? wanna bite "yes or no" click no and done... now the whole garlic thing is a push to get more money out of members in SL and hey it's a business so LET THEM DO WHAT THEY MUST.. but there should be a way of reporting those members of SL/Bloodlines to the Admins of the Game and have them booted for spamming, harrassment etc... why should Linden Lab be held at fault when it isnt them who made the game?... just a thought to go on.
~Kitty Tandino.