Map Privacy & Appear Offline - Would You Like This Feature?

[Akane Nacht]

Sometimes I want to be totally undisturbed too. So, I log on to my alt, who I never friend people on and have "Do not disturb" in the profile. I work in a public sandbox and the only time I was disturbed in recent memory was when someone rezzed something near me and messaged me to apologise. I don't know why most sandbox loiterers have become so polite these days - maybe we all just grew up.

[Robberinthemuseum]

It's better if you just make an alt for when you want to be alone.

[norajulian]

But why? I never look at the map, let alone mini-map. I TP into somewhere and if I have an itch, I can to all the avatars on the people tab on region to appreciate the effort they put into their looks, and then I go on my merry way to cam to whatever I came to the region for. I fail to see how hiding a dot on the map will help when you can simply use the nearby people option. 
 

Very rarely do I walk too far in SL. It’s unnecessary for me to do what I wish to do. I log into SL to be more social, more often than not, because if I didn’t want to, I’d simply not log in and rewatch a sitcom for the 80th time. 
 

Additionally, you can appear offline to strangers and friends alike, assuming they don’t have a tracker hud and don’t message you. You can limit how you appear in search, and to if your online status is publicly viewable. For your friends, there is an eyeball next to their name on your friends list - if you click it, you will appear offline to them. 

[Lindal Kidd]

My initial response to this idea was favorable, but a couple of people pointed out how it could be used by stalkers and griefers, and that made me reconsider.

I don't really like the solution of using an alt for privacy. I've done it, from time to time, but in many cases I need access to my main account's inventory to do what I logged on to do.

I realized what I really want is to not show up as online to my friends, so they won't call me while I'm concentrating on some solo task. So invisibility isn't needed (parcel privacy is plenty good enough for that.) All I really need is a stronger "Unavailable" mode that masks my online status.

[Brightstar7777]

The answer seems a little less important when you realize you're being watched by infinity. Back in the day, everyone on your friends list could see you on their map by default. I mean, why are they on your friends list if you don't want them to know you exist? They were simpler and nicer times, I guess.

Edited October 16, 2022 by Brightstar7777

[Coffee Pancake]

56 minutes ago, Brightstar7777 said:

The answer seems a little less important when you realize you're being watched by infinity. Back in the day, everyone on your friends list could see you on their map by default. I mean, why are they on your friends list if you don't want them to know you exist? They were simpler and nicer times, I guess.

We lost that feature not because of privacy, but because LL couldn't keep it working and the cost efficient option was to break it.

 

[Brightstar7777]

12 minutes ago, Coffee Pancake said:

We lost that feature not because of privacy, but because LL couldn't keep it working and the cost efficient option was to break it.

Actually, it was changed from opt-out to opt-in. You can do it over on https://my.secondlife.com/settings/friends  -(click the gear to set perms on each friend individually).

Edited October 16, 2022 by Brightstar7777

[Solar Legion]

You cannot hide your presence on the main map. You cannot hide your presence on the minimap. You cannot truly hide your Online status (that breaks bits of the system). It has been this way since day one.

Deal. With. It.

Edited October 16, 2022 by Solar Legion

[Coffee Pancake]

1 hour ago, Brightstar7777 said:

Actually, it was changed from opt-out to opt-in.

 

Yes .. it was changed for technical reasons.

[Foxx Ghoststar]

I find the mini map useful when exploring. I can see the perimeter of where I'm walking to make sure I cover all the areas to be seen. I can avoid walking up to people by avoiding those green dots, thereby avoiding interrupting their privacy if they are sitting quietly or whatever. If I go to friends only, I can avoid trampling over people by negotiating around the green dots, which I do sometimes at busy places. Once in a while I also use it to find out where I'm supposed to be going by finding a crowd of people far away from the landing point, or finding a friend I have lost somewhere when exploring. All reasons why I would not want the ability for people to hide themselves on the map. Even if they did I can see them on radar anyway but that's not half as useful to me.

[Paulsian]

4 hours ago, Robberinthemuseum said:

It's better if you just make an alt for when you want to be alone.

Considering most of the objections, more and more users are using this solution to achieve privacy. Wonders (zap) how much that is costing LL to main. 

I bet most of would use appear offline the first day it was offered. There would be outrage by: stalkers, griefers, trolls, & crazies.

It will break scripted objects/things: Things associated with Second Lifes's user's online status should be broken. This is a common sense privacy feature that should have been built in the first day SL was launched. Oh wait it was. 

 I mentioned before, this sort of feature could be offered to premium users / paying customers initially. I think premium users are way less likely to somehow misuse our online status? 

Edited October 16, 2022 by Paulsian

[Paulsian]

1 hour ago, Solar Legion said:

You cannot hide your presence on the main map. You cannot hide your presence on the minimap. You cannot truly hide your Online status (that breaks bits of the system). It has been this way since day one.

How would simply appearing offline break bits of the "system"? It's not breaking the system for lindens to currently use it? 

Edited October 16, 2022 by Paulsian

[Alwin Alcott]

22 minutes ago, Paulsian said:

There would be outrage by: stalkers, griefers, trolls, & crazies.

the opposite... the most easy way to hide;  for them.

Edited October 16, 2022 by Alwin Alcott

[Kathlen Onyx]

5 minutes ago, Paulsian said:

 I mentioned before, this sort of feature could be offered to premium users / paying customers initially. I think premium users are way less likely to somehow misuse our online status? 

So...you ae saying that users, which I might point out are most users,  that are not "paying" SL are not trustworthy?  Now you've just offended the main user base of Second Life.  Now you are just a troll.

[Paulsian]

I'm not okay with users tracking other users. This should be broken. Oh we can't track our johns anymore. I can't can't bully a new users anymore. I can't collect data on users. Burn stalker islands down. 

[Rowan Amore]

1 minute ago, Paulsian said:

I'm not okay with users tracking other users. This should be broken. Oh we can't track our johns anymore. I can't can't bully a new users anymore. I can't collect data on users. Burn stalker islands down. 

You can't track anyone FFS.   You can see their online status.  Period.  You can shut off the ability to receive IMs from non-friends.  Use it.    I have only one time had an issue with a griefer in all my years in SL.  And surprise!  It was at a sandbox.   Stop hanging out at those places.  Perhaps if you were a paying member, you could use the Premium sandboxes which are almost always empty.  Social Islands and info hubs are also prime stalking grounds for people with bad intentions.  I don't hear from many people, aside from you, who have such horrible encounters as a rule.  Maybe YOU just need to change YOUR behavior in SL.

[Cinnamon Mistwood]

It is not tracking or stalking you by simply existing in the same region as you.  If you are so uncomfortable with having a neighbor be at home (in their home) while you are at home (in your home) in your same region of Bellisseria, then suburbia is not for you.  If you use the tools available, they can't see your avatar and they can't contact you at all.

Do you do this to others when you are in the same or neighboring regions?  Is that why you're so concerned that others are tracking or stalking you?

[Blaise Glendevon]

6 minutes ago, Paulsian said:

I'm not okay with users tracking other users. This should be broken. Oh we can't track our johns anymore. I can't can't bully a new users anymore. I can't collect data on users. Burn stalker islands down. 

Multi-user worlds might not be for you, either.

[Paulsian]

11 minutes ago, Sam1 Bellisserian said:

So...you ae saying that users, which I might point out are most users,  that are not "paying" SL are not trustworthy?  Now you've just offended the main user base of Second Life.  Now you are just a troll.

I'm following the current LL SL business model, premium users already get "more privacy via linden homes."

Maybe it would work for every users 

If appear offline is selected at login screen, make everyone else appear offline as well. Then I was thinking could just get an alt to tell where people are. Yes people are going to try to misuse this. That should not prevent us from trying to come up with solutions.

[Cinnamon Mistwood]

1 minute ago, Paulsian said:

I'm following the current LL SL business model, premium users already get "more privacy via linden homes."

Maybe it would work for every users 

If appear offline is selected at login screen, make everyone else appear offline as well. Then I was thinking could just get an alt to tell where people are. Yes people are going to try to misuse this. That should not prevent us from trying to come up with solutions.

Is there more privacy in a Linden home?  You can't use banlines and anyone can have 15 seconds of access to your home before being sent to the road outside and they can do this over and over until you ban them by name.

[Paulsian]

Or we can wait for online virutal privacy regulation. Thanks Meta. 

[Love Zhaoying]

3 minutes ago, Paulsian said:

Or we can wait for online virutal privacy regulation. Thanks Meta. 

If only we had a President of Second Life, they could make LL create the privacy you want!

[Blaise Glendevon]

18 minutes ago, Paulsian said:

I'm following the current LL SL business model, premium users already get "more privacy via linden homes."

How does a Linden Home have more privacy than an estate parcel. Or even a mainland plot? Be specific. If a non-premium user wants the same "privacy" they can rent, as I did for years.

Edited October 16, 2022 by Blaise Glendevon

[Rowan Amore]

6 minutes ago, Paulsian said:

Or we can wait for online virutal privacy regulation. Thanks Meta. 

Then there's your new home.  Cya!

[Paulsian]

The only other solution to provide true privacy would be for linden homes to also include a linden home office instance to an island office that is completely private and I would still like to appear offline. That's so grose. 

Right now SLusers do not have privacy. Only the Lindens have that.