Strange new messages from viewer

[Chic Aeon 19,231]

So I received a fairly nasty IM from someone that I didn't know (likely coming to my shop to get gifts ^^) yelling at me for spam. Since I have never EVER sent out spam or even had a store group I was confused. I wrote back thinking she had written to the wrong person but she had blocked me (again nastily).  

BUT I assumed that there was SOMETHING behind her comment so I sent an alt over to see what happened to them.  There are three comments (two the same) that I have never noted before.   My alt isn't wearing any "collar" type items and I have no idea what extended chat means.

Is this something that has happened with the latest server codes?  It only happened on two of a few sims that I visited.  Just wondering.

 

 

 

[Ardy Lay 777]

HC.Extended Public Chat is for sale on Marketplace.  Click the name in your local chat and see who owns it and where it is.

Dunno about that Firestorm stuff.  I don't use it.

[Chic Aeon 19,231]

17 minutes ago, Ardy Lay said:

HC.Extended Public Chat is for sale on Marketplace.  Click the name in your local chat and see who owns it and where it is.

Dunno about that Firestorm stuff.  I don't use it.

OK but the avatar getting that message doesn't HAVE that item.  So still very confusing unless it is a neighbor who's "tech" is overlapping my plot.   If so, it is a new thing.   

[Fritigern Gothly 2,968]

It is indeed from a neighboring user. It is a chaty extender, it's rezzed in world and listens to local chat within its range, then sends that chat via IM to all avatars within a certain radius, allowing people to "hear" eachother even when they are outside normal chat range.

So yeah, this is not an attachment, this is something that someone has rezzed and its range is intruding on your parcel.

As for the collar messages, I am confused by that as well. 

[Nicky Dasmijn 1]

There's an option to let the OpenCollar protocol disable the client AO (You find it in Prefs->Firestorm->Avatar) this is done via the bridge.

What you see is the bridge trying to detect if there is a collar worn.

When you disable  that option in preferences the whisper should go away.

 

[Waialae 23]

On 5/13/2020 at 8:24 PM, Fritigern Gothly said:

It is indeed from a neighboring user. It is a chaty extender, it's rezzed in world and listens to local chat within its range, then sends that chat via IM to all avatars within a certain radius, allowing people to "hear" eachother even when they are outside normal chat range.

So yeah, this is not an attachment, this is something that someone has rezzed and its range is intruding on your parcel.

As for the collar messages, I am confused by that as well. 

Me and a bunch of friends received a spam IM last night, and it sounds like a chat extender could be the culprit, especially if it allows region-wide (or multi region) communication. I can see where such a thing might be needed by owners of a region where groups of people meet, but is there any need for these things to be allowed otherwise? I picture someone going to a boat rez zone or sandbox and blasting everyone with spam.