At Linden Lab, we take Resident security and privacy very seriously. Since we launched Viewer 2 and Shared Media on 2/23, there's been a lot of excitement about the creative potential of Shared Media and we're already starting to see some very innovative uses of this feature, some of which are showcased in the Shared Media Destination Guide. There's also been a lot of discussion in the community about potential security issues when Residents view Shared Media inworld. We have been closely monitoring the blogosphere and spoken with many Residents about the concerns. I would like to take this opportunity to address them directly and share why we chose to auto-play Shared Media, what issues have arisen, steps that we're taking, and some things that you can do on your end to increase viewer security.
Benefits of Shared Media on Auto-Play
Many months ago, the Viewer 2 team and I discussed the benefits and potential drawbacks associated with having Shared Media auto-play set as the default. We weighed the drawbacks with the upside of having Shared Media capabilities ubiquitous throughout Second Life. After much debate, we made the auto-play default decision because of the overwhelming value, from an experience perspective, that Shared Media brings. The drawbacks are minimized because Residents have complete control of Shared Media and can easily disable it. Instructions are below.
Your Concern
Because Shared Media brings the web inworld, there is some potential information sharing to be aware of, just as there is whenever you use the Internet. For example, when you request a web page in your browser, your IP address may be transmitted to the web server (hosting the website) and then stored in log files. IP addresses can be used to pinpoint geographic location.
Now that Shared Media introduces web content more broadly into Second Life, we have received Resident concerns around whether a website can gather IP information from avatars in Second Life. The answer is that it's possible, but it would take considerable effort. If you are concerned, then we recommend that you disable auto-play, as we outline below.
So, we all need to be smart about information sharing inworld, just as we are on the Internet, and the real world. We're taking steps to help minimize the issue and you can, too.
Shared Media Cookies Help Increase Resident Security
The Viewer 2 Beta update, released today, has an enhancement that helps protect your privacy when accessing Shared Media. Viewer 2 now stores "cookies" per user rather than per Viewer. This is important because it means that a website can't tie multiple accounts to a single user.
We are also exploring additional ways to increase privacy protections for Shared Media, including safe browsing technologies, that will roll out in coming releases.
Steps That You Can Take
There are a few easy things that you can do right now to help protect your privacy.
- To turn Shared Media auto-play off, just go to Me > Preferences > Sound & Media > Allow Media Auto-Play. Just uncheck that box and click "OK" to save the change. This simple action protects against information sharing with third-party websites.
- You can also turn off the media attached to other avatars, which prevents attachment media from playing.
- You can assess the URL of a website on a Shared Media object by using the inspector or the Nearby Media Panel.
- Clear all cookies and other data by going to Me > Preferences > Privacy > Clear all user data.
- And, please be as vigilant about data security inworld just as you are on the Internet. Do not share sensitive information inworld.
We look forward to your comments in the Shared Media section of the Viewer 2 Beta Forum. And, if you find Shared Media bugs, or have suggestions about features, please file a PJIRA, under the SEC heading.
