LL needs to implement a way to detect bots via script - urgently

[benchthis]

Thought this is where strange bot interaction would go? If they are going to regions and listening to key words and harassing owners I guess that would be a problem. 

This was not the usual boring land rental bots. lol far from it. 

[VaelFaye]

On 1/29/2023 at 2:05 PM, Dyna Mole said:

Hi, all!  As a quick reminder, this thread is about the OP's request for a new feature in the JIRA. Discussion about the proposal and its technical merits, its limitations, and ways to refine it are definitely on topic. Please try to resist drifting into conversation about bots in general or the importance of reporting possible TOS violations.

 

Edited February 26, 2023 by VaelFaye
To clarify

[Kavarek]

On 2/19/2023 at 2:43 PM, LittleMe Jewell said:

Best I know, there is no way to specify multiple 'groups' that can have access. The group allow function on the parcel Access tab is specific to the group that the parcel is Deeded or Set to.  The "Always allowed' box below will only allow individual names, not group names.

Estate level:  ACCESS TAB - ALLOWED GROUPS - ADD  

 

You can actually set it for active groups only and can set up to 63 groups and their members to have access.  

For parcels only or LH we simply don't ahve that option. Setting sit items to group only, landing spot forced and security orb for those cases is only option.

 

For main land or sims/homesteads there is the above. 

Edited February 28, 2023 by Kavarek

[Toothless Draegonne]

.

Edited March 8, 2023 by Toothless Draegonne
cannot delete own post.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

Reviving this topic briefly because there is some (good) news of which many may be unaware: LL is actively testing a new estate tool that would allow estate owners to restrict the access of scripted agents.

This was briefly referenced in Lab Gab (and in our discussions about that), but it's not unimportant that this actually seems to be happening, and will (hopefully) be implemented soonish, albeit in a rather crude way.

Here is what Inara Pey says:

Quote

This is the simulator update referenced in the March 10th Lab Gab session [...]

• The update includes a console variable that can be set by estate managers to either True or False. When set to True it will prevent Scripted Agents from entering regions in an estate.
• This will be supported in time by a viewer UI update to allow the option to be managed more directly – but it will still be a while before this UI change surfaces in the viewer.
• There will be a policy change update published soon which will further cover these changes and the operation of Scripted Agents.

Further changes have been suggested within the Lab – notably to traffic – but it has yet to be decided on whether / when these will be implemented.

Thanks as always to @Inara Pey and @panterapolnocy for their much-valued work in keeping us up-to-date!

[Scylla Rhiadra]

I am reviving this topic briefly because there is some (good) news of which many may be unaware: LL is actively testing a new estate tool that would allow estate owners to restrict the access of scripted agents.

This was briefly referenced in Lab Gab (and in our discussions about that), but it's not unimportant that this actually seems to be happening, and will (hopefully) be implemented soonish.

You can check out what Inara says here.

Thanks as always to @Inara Pey and @panterapolnocy for their much-valued work in keeping us up-to-date!

Edited March 15, 2023 by Scylla Rhiadra

[Love Zhaoying]

2 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

Testing . . . 1 2 3

I see your post, so I think your test worked.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

Ok, I give up. The stupid forum software wins.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

7 minutes ago, Love Zhaoying said:

I see your post, so I think your test worked.

Not anymore you don't. It's been hidden.

I was updating info on LL's work to introduce a new Estate-level feature. Apparently that needs to be "approved."

ETA: THANK YOU TO THE MODS FOR APPROVING THAT POST EXPEDITIOUSLY!

(/me grumbles about stupid forum software again)

Edited March 15, 2023 by Scylla Rhiadra

[Sorina Garrigus]

Maybe a SL version of this is needed. 

[Lucia Nightfire]

On 3/16/2023 at 7:25 PM, Sorina Garrigus said:

Maybe a SL version of this is needed. 

As long as all the imagery comes from places/things in-world.

[PheebyKatz]

Adding a feature to restrict access by scripted agents is a great idea, because yeah, having your immersion shattered by someone showing up and just hovering there, and then vanishing, well, it's kind of annoying, especially when you rent a private Homestead just to get away from all the gadfly-type activity on more public sims. Trying to say hello, and then finding out later it's just a bunch of bots that come to your private home and check on things can be rage fuel.

Of course, adding a feature that almost everyone on the grid will immediately implement leaves only those few sims that don't have the checkbox ticked for all of the bots to go to, which will eventually cause any place that allows scraper bots to have the highest traffic in Search, lol.

[Ardy Lay]

I checked the logs for one region and get a weekly average of 27 bots an hour, including duplicates.  Any help for mainland residents?

[Coffee Pancake]

37 minutes ago, Ardy Lay said:

I checked the logs for one region and get a weekly average of 27 bots an hour, including duplicates.  Any help for mainland residents?

Doubt it .. will be 'if you want privacy go to a private estate' .. or something to that effect.

[Sorina Garrigus]

1 hour ago, Lucia Nightfire said:

As long as all the imagery comes from places/things in-world.

Soooo click on all avatars dancing on a pole? 

[PheebyKatz]

48 minutes ago, Coffee Pancake said:

Doubt it .. will be 'if you want privacy go to a private estate' .. or something to that effect.

PROTIP: When they say that, it's laced with bulldooky, too, cos even on a private estate, we had about a dozen bots a day, and that was just the ones we noticed when we were home.

And those were just bots checking to see if the place was for sale, or whatever.

Banlines suck, but so far they're all anyone has for combating this. And that's ca-ca, because I know it could be fixed in a better way, if we had the option.

[DaveLavel]

Tbh I was having the same issue on a private estate. I used the payment method and it stoped every single one. Until SL  fixes it that’s the best I can come up with to combat them

[Ardy Lay]

Sell Pass can be fun too.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

9 hours ago, DaveLavel said:

Tbh I was having the same issue on a private estate. I used the payment method and it stoped every single one. Until SL  fixes it that’s the best I can come up with to combat them

And this is an unfortunate spin-off of the nuisance caused by the current infestation of bots that has nothing to do with data scraping: that it's compelling people to close entry to regions and parcels, restricting access for actual people whom they might actually welcome in more normal circumstances.

Hopefully, Dave, if you're renting, you can convince your landlord to use the new tool that LL is preparing to prevent entry of scripted agents into private estates -- or if it's your own region, you can make use of that yourself.

[Ardy Lay]

2 hours ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

And this is an unfortunate spin-off of the nuisance caused by the current infestation of bots that has nothing to do with data scraping: that it's compelling people to close entry to regions and parcels, restricting access for actual people whom they might actually welcome in more normal circumstances.

Hopefully, Dave, if you're renting, you can convince your landlord to use the new tool that LL is preparing to prevent entry of scripted agents into private estates -- or if it's your own region, you can make use of that yourself.

Yes, this is exactly why I don't use tools such as requiring payment info on file or selling passes on the public spaces except when we need to evacuate the premises for some reason.  I only use them where I don't really want uninvited visitors anyway.

I have found that support won't restart a malfunctioning mainland region that has 10 or more agents in it, so I move the AFKs off either to an adjacent region or their homes, depending on conditions, to get the region restarted.  I have not had to do this for a long time now.  Simulators work pretty well.  My primary concern with bots is they make people uncomfortable.  I also wonder about their resource consumption but so far only a small number of them have noticeably affected the simulator.  Those got abuse reported for resource consumption.

Another reason I might eject suspected bots is when the region is at agent capacity.  Bots can just go to hell so real people can come in.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

Complicating things now is that we appear to have people impersonating a well-known group of bots, and using the cover to harass and even threaten residents.

And of course, because they are neither "registered" nor actual "scripted agents" at all, they can't be excluded using any new tool that LL might devise. I'm not even sure they can be ARed, unless they get really abusive -- but it might be worth a try.

[Love Zhaoying]

3 hours ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

Complicating things now is that we appear to have people impersonating a well-known group of bots, and using the cover to harass and even threaten residents.

And of course, because they are neither "registered" nor actual "scripted agents" at all, they can't be excluded using any new tool that LL might devise. I'm not even sure they can be ARed, unless they get really abusive -- but it might be worth a try.

Next, they'll make "Impersonating a Bot / Bot company rep" against TOS.

[Sid Nagy]

.

.

.

<---------------

That's all I have to ad at the moment to the bot discussion.

[Orwar]

3 hours ago, Sid Nagy said:

.

.

.

   Those are some good points.

[Love Zhaoying]

8 minutes ago, Orwar said:

   Those are some good points.

Sid needs to be more careful, leaving bullets just laying around..