Does Linden Labs actively enforce the Bot policy?

[RebekaStein]

I was wondering if Linden Labs actively enforces the bot policy?  http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Lab_Official:Inworld_policy_on_bots

The policy states "Using bots to "game" traffic is not allowed. You may not attempt to gain an unfair advantage in search results through the use of bots to inflate the traffic for a parcel. This policy applies to both mainland and private estates since both are represented in search."

I've been to a few music club recently and have noticed that the "regulars" don't say anything and don't move around.  One club I counted over a dozen avatars just hanging out.  When I did the math, all those avatars would likely account for 20,000 in traffic.  I'm not going to publically call them out here .. in case I'm incorrect.

What I'm wondering is ... how does Linden Labs even know that bots are in use?  Can they assess a region for the presence of avatars that don't move around?  Or is it all about somebody reporting them?  What penalties do they incur for getting caught?

I just think it's really unfair to clubs that don't use bots to compete with clubs that do use them to inflate traffic.

 

PS, couldn't see a way to do a reply ... so EDIT: What exactly is a bot?  You used the term scripted agent, but if somebody is simply logging on a viewer, or a text client simply to get traffic statistics but technically isn't doing anything else, is that still not a bot?  Because their isn't somebody activity doing anything on the viewer?

[RebekaStein]

I was wondering if Linden Labs actively enforces the bot policy?  http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Lab_Official:Inworld_policy_on_bots

The policy states "Using bots to "game" traffic is not allowed. You may not attempt to gain an unfair advantage in search results through the use of bots to inflate the traffic for a parcel. This policy applies to both mainland and private estates since both are represented in search."

I've been to a few music club recently and have noticed that the "regulars" don't say anything and don't move around.  One club I counted over a dozen avatars just hanging out.  When I did the math, all those avatars would likely account for 20,000 in traffic.  I'm not going to publically call them out here .. in case I'm incorrect.

What I'm wondering is ... how does Linden Labs even know that bots are in use?  Can they assess a region for the presence of avatars that don't move around?  Or is it all about somebody reporting them?  What penalties do they incur for getting caught?

I just think it's really unfair to clubs that don't use bots to compete with clubs that do use them to inflate traffic.

 

PS, couldn't see a way to do a reply ... so EDIT: What exactly is a bot?  You used the term scripted agent, but if somebody is simply logging on a viewer, or a text client simply to get traffic statistics but technically isn't doing anything else, is that still not a bot?  Because their isn't somebody activity doing anything on the viewer?

[Rolig Loon]

Bots (AKA Scripted Agents)  are supposed to be registered.  (Do it here.)  As LL explains, "There are a few ways that Bots can be used that are considered a violation of Second Life's Terms of Service (see this article for more details). Identifying this account as a bot allows us to improve the Second Life experience for all Residents (for example, by improving Search results). Failure to identify an account as a Bot could result in disciplinary action if the Bot is then found to be negatively impacting our service or otherwise causing problems."  So, the bottom line is that IF you are running an unregistered bot and IF Linden Lab catches you, you can be in a heap of trouble.  How likely is that?  Frankly, I have no way to guess the probabilities.  There are two common ways that Linden Lab finds out, though.  LL techs monitor sim performance all the time, and they do investigate when a sim has a chronic lag problem -- such as often happens if there are a lot of people on the sim.  They can find out very easily which avs are bots.  Then there are the ARs that come from civic-minded residents who get ticked off when a club full of bots has lousy lag.  My guess is that bots who don't call attention to themselves are pretty safe, but they are pretty ineffective too.  A bot who is gaming traffic successfully runs a higher risk of being discovered.

[PeterCanessa Oh]

"What exactly is a bot?"  Your question is a good one but someone simply logging lots of alts on in separate viewers is just using lots of alts - which also might be in breach of the TOS - not a bot.

Many things in SL are 'unfair' in that some people are honest and some aren't.  LL's enforcement of any of their policies - apart from getting paid on time - is erratic and arbitrary at times.  That's just the way it is and when it comes to clubs it'll almost certainly do them no good anyway.  Clubs come and go in SL all the time; if they have to cheat to look popular, and are the sort of people who cheat, they won't last long.  Never mind, another one will be along in a minute.

[Rolig Loon]

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RebekaStein wrote:

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PS, couldn't see a way to do a reply ... so EDIT: What exactly is a bot?  You used the term scripted agent, but if somebody is simply logging on a viewer, or a text client simply to get traffic statistics but technically isn't doing anything else, is that still not a bot?  Because their isn't somebody activity doing anything on the viewer?

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You figured it out.  To respond, you either EDIT your original post or you click the Permalink on a person's reply.  Neither way is perfect.  We don't see edits unless we happen to wander back in again (like this). Permalinks do alert us, but they are semi-private conversations that few other people ever see.

Anyway .... A "bot" is a Scripted Agent... an avatar under control of a computer program (a script), rather than being under the direct control of a live person.  If you just log on and stand there doing nothing, you are not a bot, because nothing is controlling you.  You're a statue.  Landowners can bump up their statistics that way.  It's called "camping," and it used to be a lot more popular than it is now, mostly because it's hard to find many people who are willing to log on, pay for bandwidth, and get reimbursed at a measly L$10 a half hour, which used to be the going rate.  If you want to read more about bots, see http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Bot