Sorry. This is not OK. B bots profile scraping.

[Ceka Cianci]

13 minutes ago, EliseAnne85 said:

I don't think the Linden who closed the last thread said it's all okay.  Regarding the public information it apparently is, but near the end  said "we are in communication with owner..."  (See locked thread near bottom).  Which, to me, means they are checking some things.

Being in a person's private home or skybox doesn't seem okay to me.  That's stalking.

They must be in a regular landing spot or something for those bots.. Because  really, they only need to be in the same region to get information.. I wonder if they can fix that by  not letting avatars just land in where every they have a location set to.. I bet they are set to the same place unless forced to land at  certain landing point..

The user might be able to talk to the sim or land owner about changing that..

[belindacarson]

3 minutes ago, TimKoul said:

If you choose the option "nobody" or "friends" to show your feed or any other part of your profile, its no long public (DUH). Some bot comes along and posts literally everything about you, on the internet, for all to see, without caring for privacy settings, that is a privacy breach. 

no it's not.  read the following page:

https://lindenlab.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/31000141051-i-don-t-want-my-account-profile-to-show-in-search-

 

quoted the relevant bit here for you :Please note: This change will remove you from Second Life's in world search; however, it will not remove your profile from external search engines. Even though the settings may hide the profile itself when visited, the profile will still exist in search engine results.

[Solar Legion]

20 minutes ago, Love Zhaoying said:

Idea: If indeed the "B___B" team are using an "exploit" to get the supposedly-private Profile information:

They may THINK that they are "white hat hackers".  (This is a type of hacker who looks for exploits for "good", to be helpful, etc.)

That doesn't mean they really are.

All of the information acquired and placed on their website is available to anyone within Second Life itself (sorry folks, needing to create an account does not make it private either) as well as varied script functions.

If you weren't around in the early days of the Internet and didn't learn to not put information you'd rather not be out there into any potentially "public" profile ... that is on you.

Edited January 21, 2023 by Solar Legion

[TimKoul]

2 minutes ago, Love Zhaoying said:

I thought the posts earlier said they were somehow getting the "web" profiles, which you can set privacy on.

If they are getting it from in-world profiles, then that's completely different.

I had assumed there was some distinction between the information shown in the example "web profiles" in the OP and the in-world profiles.

That is what I assumed too. I'm just now reading about it. I was wrong. It looks like they are pulling from profiles, whats already public. Except the account status info: basic, premium, premium plus. So my point about the account info is still valid.

[Solar Legion]

4 minutes ago, TimKoul said:

That is what I assumed too. I'm just now reading about it. I was wrong. It looks like they are pulling from profiles, whats already public. Except the account status info: basic, premium, premium plus. So my point about the account info is still valid.

No, it isn't.

That information is available to anyone, using a script command. It is in no way hidden or obfuscated.

Edited January 21, 2023 by Solar Legion
Added a link

[Rowan Amore]

Linden Lab Official:Residents' privacy rights - Second Life Wiki

 

Disclosing personal information

You may not disclose personal information about another Resident, including gender, religion, age, marital status, race, sexual preference, and real-world location. You may not use notecards, textures, chat, IM, forums, or any other means to distribute such information. Linden Lab will attempt to delete such privacy-violating content, if possible, and will apply appropriate discipline.

Exceptions include information:

Contained in the Resident's own profile.

That is patently false (for example, "Bob Avatar lives on Mars")

Provided via systems not controlled by Linden Lab; such systems are beyond the scope of the Second Life Terms of Service. For example, "Someone's posting Bob Avatar's address and photograph on their web page."

[EliseAnne85]

4 minutes ago, Ceka Cianci said:

They must be in a regular landing spot or something for those bots.. Because  really, they only need to be in the same region to get information.. I wonder if they can fix that by  not letting avatars just land in where every they have a location set to.. I bet they are set to the same place unless forced to land at  certain landing point..

The user might be able to talk to the sim or land owner about changing that..

It's against the TOS to HARASS other SL residents.  Sim or Land Owners should be contacted immediately if one of these bots is in your home or on your land.  From the SL TOS...

Harassment

Harassment can take many forms. Communicating or behaving in a manner that is offensively coarse, intimidating, threatening, or causes annoyance or alarm is not allowed.

 

[Ceka Cianci]

2 minutes ago, TimKoul said:

That is what I assumed too. I'm just now reading about it. I was wrong. It looks like they are pulling from profiles, whats already public. Except the account status info: basic, premium, premium plus. So my point about the account info is still valid.

I asked about that earlier too, because I was curious how they got mine.. I guess this is how they do that..

It's just a link to a post  on page two..

 

[Lindal Kidd]

I have never paid much attention to the Web Profiles. When LL introduced them I just set most of mine to Private, and kept using the old style in world profiles the same as I've always done.

I don't see the reason for all the furor here. I checked my info on BB's site, and it came up with a rather nice representation of my in-world profile. That has always been public (well, in-world "public"), available for anyone to see. That is what the Profile is for, after all.

It didn't even show my groups, and even though I leave them out there for anyone to see, that's the part of my profile that does tell quite a lot about my, um, well...my kinks. The night side of my SL. It's not on the BB website.

It's a little surprising to see it on a website outside of SL, but I really don't see the harm. After all, anyone who wants to see my Profile can do it by making a free account and logging in to SL.

I can also see some benefits to BB's site. Right on the main page, it shows the regions that have a lot of "real" avatars on them, so it's sort of like a version of the "What's Hot Now" information that shows up on the login page of the official viewer.

[TimKoul]

1 minute ago, Solar Legion said:

No, it isn't.

That information is available to anyone, using a script command. It is in no way hidden or obfuscated.

So the only way for someone else to see it is by using a script? I wouldn't call that public info, exactly. 

[Ceka Cianci]

2 minutes ago, EliseAnne85 said:

It's against the TOS to HARASS other SL residents.  Sim or Land Owners should be contacted immediately if one of these bots is in your home or on your land.  From the SL TOS...

Harassment

Harassment can take many forms. Communicating or behaving in a manner that is offensively coarse, intimidating, threatening, or causes annoyance or alarm is not allowed.

 

Ya, I'm just wondering if they change the landing point that it will land somewhere else..

If they ban one, another might show up in the same spot.. Changing where it lands might be even more helpful to making it stop..

[Orwar]

   Why is this up again, after we already received an official response?

   It's our profile information, that we ourselves have authored and made public. Unless you put your RL name/address/credit card number on there, there's nothing private involved - and, if you do so that's by your own volition.

[EliseAnne85]

Just now, Ceka Cianci said:

Ya, I'm just wondering if they change the landing point that it will land somewhere else..

If they ban one, another might show up in the same spot.. Changing where it lands might be even more helpful to making it stop..

But it's harassment as lined out word for word from my c/p above from the SL TOS.  Report to LL also, imo, if they land in your home or land and you have a security orb.  Yeeeks!

[Solar Legion]

Just now, TimKoul said:

So the only way for someone else to see it is by using a script? I wouldn't call that public info, exactly. 

I would.

It is not hidden or obfuscated, anyone at all can utilize the function to pull that data. Just as they can with all of the other data listed on that website.

None of it requires any specialized permissions.

That particular bit of information is not much different than a script pulling your online status despite you flagging it so that people viewing your profile do not see it there.

[Sid Nagy]

49 minutes ago, Lewis Luminos said:

The bottom line is, Linden Lab apparently thinks it's all ok, which leaves us with two options: accept the risk or delete your account.

Deleting ones account doesn't help either.
The data is out there now and will not disappear.

Starting all over with an alt doesn't help either as long as it is not stopped.

Only thing we can do is discuss it, bring it under attention and hope that things will change in favor of protecting the user data better by our overlords.

And I won't hold my breath until that will happen.

[Sid Nagy]

2 minutes ago, Solar Legion said:

I would.

It is not hidden or obfuscated, anyone at all can utilize the function to pull that data. Just as they can with all of the other data listed on that website.

None of it requires any specialized permissions.

That particular bit of information is not much different than a script pulling your online status despite you flagging it so that people viewing your profile do not see it there.

Because it can be done, doesn't mean it has to be done, doesn't make it desirable or legitimate in my book.
Even if the TOS doesn't state that it is forbidden.
There are moral and ethical standards too.

[Love Zhaoying]

12 minutes ago, Rowan Amore said:

Linden Lab Official:Residents' privacy rights - Second Life Wiki

 

Disclosing personal information

You may not disclose personal information about another Resident, including gender, religion, age, marital status, race, sexual preference, and real-world location. You may not use notecards, textures, chat, IM, forums, or any other means to distribute such information. Linden Lab will attempt to delete such privacy-violating content, if possible, and will apply appropriate discipline.

Exceptions include information:

Contained in the Resident's own profile.

That is patently false (for example, "Bob Avatar lives on Mars")

Provided via systems not controlled by Linden Lab; such systems are beyond the scope of the Second Life Terms of Service. For example, "Someone's posting Bob Avatar's address and photograph on their web page."

What is your conclusion from this?  All the apparent shenanigans are "ok" according to TOS based on the information above?

Sorry, I have to ask as my intuit is bork.

[TimKoul]

Just now, Solar Legion said:

I would.

It is not hidden or obfuscated, anyone at all can utilize the function to pull that data. Just as they can with all of the other data listed on that website.

None of it requires any specialized permissions.

That particular bit of information is not much different than a script pulling your online status despite you flagging it so that people viewing your profile do not see it there.

I would say its not easily accessible. Its not displayed on your profile or even the web profile and you would have to know how to code (utilize that function as you said) or whatever to find it.  That, to me, is hidden. 

So whats stopping a bot from grabbing your actual account information like email and password? 

[Ceka Cianci]

3 minutes ago, EliseAnne85 said:

But it's harassment as lined out word for word from my c/p above from the SL TOS.  Report to LL also, imo, if they land in your home or land and you have a security orb.  Yeeeks!

Ya do that, report them, but also it doesn't hurt to see about  maybe having a place where everyone lands, rather than having them able to land anywhere they want. like in peoples houses.

If you report a bot , the bot gets reported, Do that  and report them.. If you have a specific landing point, it has them landing elsewhere so you don't have to spend your days reporting bots ..

[Love Zhaoying]

5 minutes ago, Sid Nagy said:

Deleting ones account doesn't help either.
The data is out there now and will not disappear.

I guess this is one of those, "Go smash your PC and live in the woods, off-grid" scenarios.  There is no other option.

I'll miss some of y'all, good luck in the woods!

[Solar Legion]

Just now, TimKoul said:

I would say its not easily accessible. Its not displayed on your profile or even the web profile and you would have to know how to code (utilize that function as you said) or whatever to find it.  That, to me, is hidden. 

So whats stopping a bot from grabbing your actual account information like email and password? 

In reality, it is not - that is all there is to it. Opining otherwise won't change that.

Hmm, perhaps the simple fact that such information is not exposed whatsoever to such functions? Perhaps that it requires one to intercept that data or otherwise pull it from a server location accessible only to Linden Lab or otherwise Phish it? Not even remotely in the same ballpark.

Now the case could be made as to asking why some of this information is even able to be accessed by anyone ... That's a whole different thread/discussion.

[Arielle Popstar]

13 minutes ago, Lindal Kidd said:

It's a little surprising to see it on a website outside of SL, but I really don't see the harm. After all, anyone who wants to see my Profile can do it by making a free account and logging in to SL.

I find it very surprising to see it on a website outside of S/L and wonder why if the Lab sees it as a feature that they don't promote it when signing up! The whole idea of my inworld profile was to give inworld residents an idea of what my avatar is about, not to the world at large.

[Innula Zenovka]

5 minutes ago, TimKoul said:

I would say its not easily accessible. Its not displayed on your profile or even the web profile and you would have to know how to code (utilize that function as you said) or whatever to find it.  That, to me, is hidden. 

So whats stopping a bot from grabbing your actual account information like email and password? 

The same thing that stops anyone else grabbing your email and password -- they don't have access to that data, either via the viewer or via script.

[Solar Legion]

4 minutes ago, Ceka Cianci said:

Ya do that, report them, but also it doesn't hurt to see about  maybe having a place where everyone lands, rather than having them able to land anywhere they want. like in peoples houses.

If you report a bot , the bot gets reported, Do that  and report them.. If you have a specific landing point, it has them landing elsewhere so you don't have to spend your days reporting bots ..

On that whole little thread with the thread: If you're in a skybox and have not explicitly banned an avatar, they can show up on your parcel and even fly over it.

The scripted security systems out there exist for this reason.

[Ceka Cianci]

5 minutes ago, Sid Nagy said:

Because it can be done, doesn't mean it has to be done, doesn't make it desirable or legitimate in my book.
Even if the TOS doesn't state that it is forbidden.
There are moral and ethical standards too.

I enjoy and respect the ones that do have moral and ethical standards.. But knowing everyone doesn't is where everyone  should  set the bar.. That evil is everywhere around us always looking for a way in.. I've been bit before and  sure do my best to never let it happen again.. It hurt hurts..

I don't trust any companies security..