Role Play

[Avariel Falcon]

Hello there,

Came across a rather strange situation today when visiting a rather impressive gothic sim. I was just wandering around looking at the wonderful build when a security avatar runs up to me and accuses me of 'Scanning an object'.

At first I thought they were accusing me of copybotting, but the way the conversation went (rather badly as they accused me of lying and refused to explain what I had done wrong) I got the feeling they were referring to something else.

Asking around the best I could get was that it might be related to the Bloodlines vampire RP system, a system that I do not use. But my friends were clueless about the object part as apparently this is to do with scanning for avatars?

So I'm rather clueless, and worried that I might be doing something wrong inadvertently while exploring.

I wonder if anyone can tell me what 'Scanning' is and how I may have been 'Witnessed scanning an object' when all I did on the sim was explore, click a couple of hunt item style clickies and pay a tip jar (it is a wonderful sim).

Thank you in advance for your help.

Avariel Falcon /|\

[Perc Waco]

Scanning usually means, and I could be wrong so someone feel free to correct me if I am wrong, scanning the area for visitors or objects. Greeter scripts scan for avies that get within a certain distance so it knows when to send out a welcome message or notecard.

The vampire thing to my knowledge is some sort of RP game system. RP is Roleplay of course. Not quite sure what Copybot is unless that is what they call a script that copies everything you type and mocks you or something lol...

Scripting is what gives objects that automated functionality to perform certain tasks like doors opening when you touch them, etc..

[Avariel Falcon]

Hello Perc,

Thank you for your reply.

I guess I did not title my post very well as my question is only really about what 'Scanning' would mean in reference to this situation. I have been wandering around SL since 2006 and have experienced many things, but this scanning thing is new.

Currently I'm using the basic Imprudence viewer and my avatar at the time had no special HUDs on, just a flight feather, so I am stumped to know what I did wrong? Not knowing what I did wrong I am unable to avoid falling foul of the same issue in the future. If there is a problem with Imprudence, or something else, then I would like to know so I can avoid future unpleasant encounters.

To answer the question on what Copybot is, it is a name given to a variety of tools and non-approved viewers that allow you to make copies of other peoples items without their consent. It is a very bad thing for content creators, as I know because I had some of my products copied in the past in what I suspect was this manner.

In this case, and reviewing the chat logs, I do not think they were accusing me of copybotting. But I am still at a loss to understand what they were accusing me of.

It is rather sad as the sim was wonderful and I would like to finish exploring it, but I guess you cannot win them all.

[Void Singer Contributor]

it's not really standard terminology, so it could be related to something specific to the region/parcel your were on....

the only 2 references that are even vaguely common would be using the asset search list in phoenix to "scan" for treasure "hunt" items, and less common, to use shared media to "scan" avatars to get information about them based on the viewer type an IP...

neither can actually be directly detected, since the first one happens in the users viewer, and the second one could be a perfectly innocent media application. however some behaviors can suggest that is is happening. although realistically by the time someone could figure out it was being done, the person doing it would be done and gone.

[Avariel Falcon]

Yes, I had wondered if this is related to the Redzone spyware thing I keep hearing about. I hear that you can use it to scan avatars to see what alts they have, their IP address, and other details. I have also heard that some people are being wrongly accused of doing things wrong based on information from Redzone, but I really have not looked into the subject in any depth.

Needless to say I have no Redzone products, at least beyond enjoying the Redzone musical group who put on rather wonderful concerts in SL. ^_^

I will keep an eye out for any future issues, hopefully this is a one off.

[George Orellana Advisor]

Some people in SL are simply major douches and paranoid freaks. Just don't mind them and don't visit their sim. There are plenty of places to visit in SL where you will not be harassed in any way. 

[Peewee Musytari Honored Helper]

You say you had "no special huds on" but do you have a radar? An old radar that I used to have worked by sending out temporary probes that bounced around the sim scanning for avvies and then self-destructed.

They are  invisible and you wouldn`t even know you were sending them. If you go on a sim where you are not allowed to build, do any of your huds send a message saying they can`t work?

[Avariel Falcon]

Imprudence has a radar built into the viewer, but beyond that I only had the flight feather. Not even an LSL based AO as I used the Imprudence viewer AO.

[Peewee Musytari Honored Helper]

No way to ask what they were talking about?

[Avariel Falcon]

I think they put me on ignore, but the conversation was not going anywhere good anyway. Whatever 'Scanning' is in their world it must be really really bad. In my world its more to do with Ham radio and checking for viruses.

Today I spent some time picking over my avatar and viewer, but I can't see any deadly scanning rays of doom or anything like that. So I think that I will write this off to experience and make a note to self to avoid that particular sim, or sims as I think they have two sims that are joined together.

Thank you all for your help, at least now I know this is not some common term among the Vampire RP community that I have somewhat missed the meaning of, or something like that.