Here's How to Opt Out of Data Collection(?) and Display

[Scylla Rhiadra]

Hi all,

As per their recent agreement with Linden Lab, BonnieBot.com now offers the ability for both individuals and merchants to "opt-out" of their web site.

It's unclear what "opting out" means -- whether they will stop harvesting your data, or simply stop displaying it (my suspicion is the latter). And, as there has been no effort that I've yet seen to ensure that residents even know that their data is being harvested, and that opting out is an option, this really should be an "opt-in" process . . . but that's a fight for a different day.

For now, you have two options for "opting out."

Quote

To opt-out, send an in-world message to bonniebelle86 containing the phrase "opt-out" or email bonniebellebots@gmail.com

I would strongly suggest that those who wish to opt out choose the former method, as the latter exposes your email address to an organization that is apparently busily scraping as much data as they can lay their hands on.

There are a great many questions still to be answered about this site, but for now we seem at least to be able to have our information (including Premium and Premium Plus status) removed from the public-facing portion of this site.

[Love Zhaoying]

Thank you for this!

I hope they are processing these automatically in such a way as to not hit the "messsage caps"!

[Istelathis]

28 minutes ago, Love Zhaoying said:

Thank you for this!

I hope they are processing these automatically in such a way as to not hit the "messsage caps"!

The name of the bot is Discord, so it probably connects to a discord server, where it is likely automated. 

[Rick Nightingale]

Why do I feel similarly to this that I do those "click this link to opt out of our messages" on unsolicited spam emails?

Supposedly in the UK, such things in RL legally have to be Opt In, not Opt Out. Not that anyone has bothered to tell the data scrapers or enforce such matters.

Edited January 26, 2023 by Rick Daylight

[Ezbeharra]

So I can send an email to opt anyone I want out of data collection.

[EliseAnne85]

37 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

As per their recent agreement with Linden Lab, BonnieBot.com now offers the ability for both individuals and merchants to "opt-out" of their web site.

I'm not even sure if all websites have to have something you opt into in the first place as well as needing their own TOS.  I've never had my profile plopped onto a website I didn't sign the TOS for.  Since I don't understand much about this at all and we cannot talk about it, I have decided to just leave it alone and stay out of it altogether.  If something goes array with this harvesting, I'm sure I'd hear about it, hopefully. 

Edited January 26, 2023 by EliseAnne85

[Love Zhaoying]

Hmm..the emails have to be "human-managed" as you have to put your avatar name in the email and say something like "please opt me out"!

 

[Scylla Rhiadra]

2 minutes ago, Ezbeharra said:

So I can send an email to opt anyone I want out of data collection.

Interesting point. Yes, I suppose you can.

LOL

[Count Burks]

I did opt out from being tracked but also from their bot army visiting any of the islands, tracking any residents on the islands, indexing any of the content on the islands. I did remove all their bots from entering the islands.

It is curious how privacy on the Second Life grid has been a thing for 20 years. Suddenly this week Linden Lab would do a 180 reversal and would allow bots to scrape anything and anyone they like, tracking and tracing avatars on the grid just because they can?

Privacy is extremely important to many residents, nobody and nothing should track the whereabouts of residents on the grid.

 

 

[Coffee Pancake]

Just now, EliseAnne85 said:

I've never had my profile plopped onto a website I didn't sign the TOS for. 

You have now !

Just now, EliseAnne85 said:

Since I don't understand much about this at all and we cannot talk about it, I have decided to just leave it alone and stay out of it altogether.  If something goes array with this harvesting, I'm sure I'd hear about it, hopefully. 

I'm sure, super sure, sure like a sure thing on a sure day in sure land at the sure we're sure fire-station ready to bring the sure and tackle those sure-fire disasters.

[Love Zhaoying]

3 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

6 minutes ago, Ezbeharra said:

So I can send an email to opt anyone I want out of data collection.

Interesting point. Yes, I suppose you can.

LOL

I missed her point, that's interesting!!!

[Love Zhaoying]

4 minutes ago, Count Burks said:

I did opt out from being tracked but also from their bot army visiting any of the islands, tracking any residents on the islands, indexing any of the content on the islands. I did remove all their bots from entering the islands.

Was there a specific procedure to opt out from each of these activities?

Thank you in advance!

[EliseAnne85]

2 minutes ago, Coffee Pancake said:

You have now !

I meant until now.  I've always signed tosERVICES beforehand, not afterhand.  This harvesting has me lost.  

[Love Zhaoying]

2 minutes ago, EliseAnne85 said:

This harvesting has me lost.  

Good News! The harvesters know where to find you - unless you "opt out'!  So, unless you "opt out", you will never be truly lost in Second Life.

I'm only partly joking - But I hope you understand my underlying point. If you have concerns, merely "opt out".

Edited January 26, 2023 by Love Zhaoying

[Ezbeharra]

16 minutes ago, Ezbeharra said:

So I can send an email to opt anyone I want out of data collection.

I mean, if this is the amount of thought they've put into their opt out process then I really have to wonder how much thought they've put into securing all the raw data they collect.

[Love Zhaoying]

3 minutes ago, Ezbeharra said:

I mean, if this is the amount of thought they've put into their opt out process then I really have to wonder how much thought they've put into securing all the raw data they collect.

Good point. Not even a way to opt-out from their website? 

I'm glad they didn't add, "please include your UUID in case we cannot find your name". 

[EliseAnne85]

11 minutes ago, Love Zhaoying said:

Good News! The harvesters know where to find you - unless you "opt out'!  So, unless you "opt out", you will never be truly lost in Second Life.

I'm only partly joking - But I hope you understand my underlying point. If you have concerns, merely "opt out".

LOL, okies.  Needs another word for lost...this harvesting has me baffled and my wishes are to stay out of it for now.

[Istelathis]

At the very least they don't include the Real Life photo, I was concerned for those that did leave a picture of themselves in their profile just how easy it is to get their real identity through an image search.  Which can lead them to all sorts of problems, especially scammers who will probably easily find their email addresses, social media accounts, where they can blackmail them if they are found to be in groups that could be humiliating for them in second life.

Anywho, I opted out and was sent an automated message that it will take up to an hour.  It doesn't really matter that much to me, since my profile is open on SL's page regardless.

Edited January 26, 2023 by Istelathis

[EliseAnne85]

6 minutes ago, Istelathis said:

It doesn't really matter that much to me, since my profile is open on SL's page regardless.

My profile is nothing, it's gone beyond profiles into other things.  I don't wish to engage with this on any level until there is further information.  The problem is we cannot speak about it, so I don't understand it nor trust it.

[Count Burks]

For those in doubt about data scraping, data harvesting and data collecting. There is nothing that can collect or harvest data from you or your belongings without being granted permission, especially not some third party in Second Life. 

Case in point, Google is the largest data scraper in the world indexing billions of websites. Does that mean just because google is able to find your website it can index everything from your website as it sees fit just because it can? Well no, there is such a thing called ROBOTS.TXT where you can stipulate exactly what Google or any other search bot can harvest from your website. 

Why does ROBOTS.TXT exists? Answer: To save Google from a lot of legal trouble.

The same applies in Second Life where the Linden Lab Search Engine even needs to come and ask permission to index one of your objects or parcels or even your entire region.

To index a particular Object in Second Life even the Second Life Search Algorithm must be granted permission by the Object Creator or Owner to index a single Object. 

But starting from this week a bot can come to harvest everything without being granted any form of permission just because it can. Then use this data as the bot farmer sees fit?

The same applies to the parcel level. In order to be indexed by a search algorithm the Second Life user must grant permission, even pay for this.

 

On the Region level Second Life users can again control if they choose to grant Second Life Search Algorithm permission to index their region. Again permissions exist and must be granted in order for a Region to be indexed and listed by the Second Life Search Algorithm.

 

Anyone notices how many permissions must be granted by Object; Parcel; and Region owners before even the Second Life Search System can collect data.

Why should any third party be able to override these permissions? Anyone notices how these bot farmers use gmail addresses, are not providing any legal information on their website, are not providing any real world address where they can be contacted but still come to Second Life to grab and scrape your data.

According to Linden Lab this is all fine and users should accept this? Then when people protest Linden Lab their answer is to lock forum threads on their userbase.

Edited January 26, 2023 by Count Burks

[TimKoul]

1 minute ago, EliseAnne85 said:

My profile is nothing, it's gone beyond profiles into other things.  I don't wish to engage with this on any level until there is further information.  The problem is we cannot speak about it, so I don't understand it nor trust it.

I'm just going to say that I absolutely agree with you.

[colleen Criss]

I'm just floored that in SL we have to opt out of this kind of thing at all. Didn't we sign an agreement about privacy when we created our accounts? This is pretty nonchalant on LL's responses.

[Dorientje Woller]

1 hour ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

To opt-out, send an in-world message to bonniebelle86 containing the phrase "opt-out" or email bonniebellebots@gmail.com

No, thanks, not going to risk my email address on which my account is linked to somebody who wasn't transparent in the first place.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

Just now, Dorientje Woller said:

No, thanks, not going to risk my email address on which my account is linked to somebody who wasn't transparent in the first place.

I agree. Please see my subsequent comment!

[TimKoul]

1 minute ago, colleen Criss said:

I'm just floored that in SL we have to opt out of this kind of thing at all. Didn't we sign an agreement about privacy when we created our accounts? This is pretty nonchalant on LL's responses.

Yes. A very vague privacy agreement. But we all signed it so.