New Feature: Scripted Agent Estate Access Discussion

[Ceka Cianci]

Just now, Phil Deakins said:

The page you linked to makes it perfectly clear. Scripted agents DO count for traffic now.

Just the unregistered scripted agents, right?

[xDancingStarx]

21 minutes ago, Phil Deakins said:

Judging by the page you linked to, it has either changed since then, or the person who wrote that page got it completely wrong.

Calming down for a moment it's pretty obvious that it cannot be anything else but a text issue.

You can easily look up what the text was like before:

"In calculating traffic scores, the number of visitors include bots, which has led to their use to increase traffic scores and boost search rankings."

They replaced "bots" with "scripted agents" and now the text may not make sense since "scripted agent" may suggest that it's declared as such. That's all.

https://web.archive.org/web/20221215151812/https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Lab_Official:Bot_policy

Edited April 3, 2023 by xDancingStarx

[Rowan Amore]

Sort of like this 'popular' escort club that ranks 5th in search?  There was ONE girl in the actual club and the rest were in a skybox, hidden from view.  

[EliseAnne85]

23 minutes ago, Phil Deakins said:

Judging by the page you linked to, it has either changed

It's on the front page of the main SL website page where after your login, you get the main page for forums, marketplace, etc.

And, clicking open the links on the main SL website page about SCRIPTED AGENTS, you will find this:  (stating the policy has been changed).   All, this is just new, I just heard about it over the weekend.  See front page of SL website for the article and links about the changes.  (adding screenshot of SL website page - that page).

 

Edited April 3, 2023 by EliseAnne85

[Phil Deakins]

Sigh. I've read the page wrong. It uses the term 'scripted agents' to refer to all bots and, of course, all bots (scripted agents) count for traffic - unless they are registered. I read it as a bot isn't a scripted agent unless it is registered as such.

So bots that are registered as scripted agents do not count for traffic. There's no need for me to test it.

Sorry @EliseAnne85 We were both mistaken.

22 minutes ago, Ceka Cianci said:

 

Edited April 3, 2023 by Phil Deakins

[EliseAnne85]

4 minutes ago, Phil Deakins said:

Sigh. I've read the page wrong. It uses the term 'scripted agents' to refer to all bots and, of course, all bots (scripted agents) count for traffic - unless they are registered. I read it as a bot isn't a scripted agent unless it is registered as such.

So bots that are registered as scripted agents do not count for traffic. There's no need for me to test it.

Sorry @EliseAnne85 We were both mistaken.

Well, I'm lost.  The policy has been updated to mean what?  

I may bow out here, Phil because I don't use bots nor currently have a problem with bots or scripted agents.  Thankfully, I'm good but do not understand what changed but I'm not even sure it matters to my SL at this time.

Edited April 3, 2023 by EliseAnne85

[Love Zhaoying]

29 minutes ago, Phil Deakins said:

The page you linked to makes it perfectly clear. Scripted agents DO count for traffic now.

It's right there at the top of the page!

In calculating traffic scores, the number of visitors includes Scripted Agents. This has led to people using Scripted Agents to increase traffic scores and boost search rankings unfairly.

Using Scripted Agents to "game" or boost traffic is prohibited.

You may not attempt to gain an unfair advantage in search results through the use of Scripted Agents to inflate the traffic for a parcel. This policy applies to both mainland and private estates, as Second Life search includes both. Please refer to the Second Life Terms and Conditions, section 5.i.

[Phil Deakins]

2 minutes ago, EliseAnne85 said:

Well, I'm lost.  The policy has been updated to mean what?  

The page you linked to, that I misunderstood, states:-

"If you own a Second Life account primarily operating as a Scripted Agent, you must specify this on the Scripted Agent Status page. By identifying Scripted Agents, you help us give you more accurate account statistics and in-world search results."

The page is a Bots Policy. It's not a page about avatars that are registered as scripted agents. LL uses the term 'scripted agent' to mean any avatar that is controlled by a programme, and not a person. The page says that using bots to inflate traffic is not allowed. The sentence that I quoted says that scripted agents (bots) must be registered as such so that the in-world search results are more accurate. I.e. if they are not registered, they will affect the search ranking by affecting the traffic counts.

[Ceka Cianci]

1 minute ago, Phil Deakins said:

Sigh. I've read the page wrong. It uses the term 'scripted agents' to refer to all bots and, of course, all bots (scripted agents) count for traffic - unless they are registered. I read it as a bot isn't a scripted agent unless it is registered as such.

So bots that are registered as scripted agents do not count for traffic.

 

I'm just going by the scripted agent policy where they refer to them all as scripted agents..

It's really not important the term they call them I guess, bot or scripted agent. the main difference is if they've been registered  hehehe 

This is what they said in there.

Identification

Set scripted agent status

Scripted Agents, often called bots, are avatars controlled by computer programs rather than people. See the Overview above for a fuller description.

If you own a Second Life account primarily operating as a Scripted Agent, you must specify this on the Scripted Agent Status page. By identifying Scripted Agents, you help us give you more accurate account statistics and in-world search results.

[Ceka Cianci]

2 minutes ago, Phil Deakins said:

The page you linked to, that I misunderstood, states:-

"If you own a Second Life account primarily operating as a Scripted Agent, you must specify this on the Scripted Agent Status page. By identifying Scripted Agents, you help us give you more accurate account statistics and in-world search results."

The page is a Bots Policy. It's not a page about avatars that are registered as scripted agents. LL uses the term 'scripted agent' to mean any avatar that is controlled by a programme, and not a person. The page says that using bots to inflate traffic is not allowed. The sentence that I quoted says that scripted agents (bots) must be registered as such so that the in-world search results are more accurate. I.e. if they are not registered, they will affect the search ranking by affecting the traffic counts.

JINX!! hehehehe

[Phil Deakins]

@EliseAnne85

If you are not convinced, and you want me to test it, I'll do it for you. It'll take a day or two but it's very simple to test.

[Love Zhaoying]

3 minutes ago, Phil Deakins said:

It'll take a day or two

Is that because Traffic takes time to register?

[Ceka Cianci]

18 minutes ago, EliseAnne85 said:

Well, I'm lost.  The policy has been updated to mean what?  

I may bow out here, Phil because I don't use bots nor currently have a problem with bots or scripted agents.  Thankfully, I'm good but do not understand what changed but I'm not even sure it matters to my SL at this time.

Nothing changed with the scripted agent policy, other than adding an already existing section from the privacy policy to make the section of the privacy policy more noticeable..

The only real change that has happened with all of this is, adding the Estate Feature.

[EliseAnne85]

7 minutes ago, Phil Deakins said:

@EliseAnne85

If you are not convinced, and you want me to test it, I'll do it for you. It'll take a day or two but it's very simple to test.

If you want too.  Sure, it would be interesting what you find out.

[Silent Mistwalker]

10 hours ago, elleevelyn said:

Linden don't pre-approve viewers.

not true.

https://secondlife.com/corporate/third-party-viewers

 

Quote

Using third party viewers

You may connect to Second Life using software released by a third-party developer. Linden Lab provides a Policy on Third-Party Viewers to promote a positive and predictable experience for all Second Life Residents. Beware of third-party viewers that are not in the Viewer Directory: they have either declined to self-certify their compliance with Linden Lab policies or been refused for noncompliance with the policies.

https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Third_Party_Viewer_Directory

[Arielle Popstar]

11 minutes ago, Ceka Cianci said:

Nothing changed with the scripted agent policy, other than adding an already existing section from the privacy policy to make the section of the privacy policy more noticeable..

The only real change that has happened with all of this is, adding the Estate Feature.

Also the Privacy Policies and enforcements are different then before:

Linden Lab Official:Scripted Agent Policy

Privacy Preference Integrity

Second Life provides a set of privacy controls, such as limiting who can communicate with a Resident, who can see another Resident’s online status, who can discover their location within Second Life, and whether profiles are published on publicly visible web pages. Scripted Agents may not circumvent these privacy controls.

Enforcement of Scripted Agent Policy

Reporting violations of the Scripted Agent policy is crucial to helping Linden Lab with enforcement. To report a potential violation, we ask that Residents please use the in-world Report Abuse function and file it under the category Disturbing the Peace. When the Governance team receives a report, the team reviews it and performs an investigation to determine whether a violation has taken place. For additional guidance on filing an Abuse Report, please refer to Filing an Abuse Report

Violations of this policy may result in suspension and/or termination of your account. If you feel there has been an unfair decision in this regard, use the Abuse Appeals process.

 

Personal Data and Privacy Rights

Data transferred outside of the Second Life service or its supporting websites is not exempt from protection under applicable data privacy laws. This applies whether data is collected by Scripted Agents, LSL scripts, or external tools. Access to the Second Life service and access to Personal Data of Second Life Residents are both conditioned on adherence to all applicable global privacy regulations governing the collection, storage, processing, or transmission of Personal Data. These laws include Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). We recommend that you seek guidance from a privacy attorney for additional, updated information before using Personal Data of Second Life Residents outside of Second Life.

 

Understanding Personal Data in Second Life

See our Using Personal Data page for data privacy considerations for Second Life Residents.

Enforcement of Privacy Rights

This policy requires that third parties fully comply with applicable global privacy regulations. Linden Lab reserves the right to act where we see evidence of non-compliance with the Scripted Agent Policy or applicable privacy regulations. At our discretion, enforcement may include removing violating Scripted Agents and supporting scripts from Second Life, requesting explanations of Personal Data activities, requesting changes to how Automated Access mechanisms function, or suspending or terminating service.

 

 

[Rowan Amore]

5 minutes ago, Silent Mistwalker said:

not true.

https://secondlife.com/corporate/third-party-viewers

 

https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Third_Party_Viewer_Directory

Except at the top it does say...

Warning: The viewers listed here are not developed nor distributed by Linden Lab. Being listed here means only that the developers of the viewer have represented that they comply with the Policy on Third-Party Viewers and the Second Life Terms of Service. You are responsible for evaluating whether you want to use and share information with them.

[Love Zhaoying]

5 minutes ago, Rowan Amore said:

Except at the top it does say...

Warning: The viewers listed here are not developed nor distributed by Linden Lab. Being listed here means only that the developers of the viewer have represented that they comply with the Policy on Third-Party Viewers and the Second Life Terms of Service. You are responsible for evaluating whether you want to use and share information with them.

And *this* is why I think a "Registered Bot" policy will not work.  The same strategery would be used.

[Silent Mistwalker]

1 minute ago, Rowan Amore said:

Except at the top it does say...

Warning: The viewers listed here are not developed nor distributed by Linden Lab. Being listed here means only that the developers of the viewer have represented that they comply with the Policy on Third-Party Viewers and the Second Life Terms of Service. You are responsible for evaluating whether you want to use and share information with them.

It's that last sentence that people need to have pounded into their heads. it's on them if they choose to use a viewer that doesn't comply with LL's policies, not LL.

[Phil Deakins]

30 minutes ago, Love Zhaoying said:

Is that because Traffic takes time to register?

A day(ish) to get the score with just 1 normal av, and then a day(ish) with just 1 registered scripted agent. 

Trafiic used to be publicly updated once a day. It's probably still the same.

Edited April 3, 2023 by Phil Deakins

[Phil Deakins]

28 minutes ago, EliseAnne85 said:

If you want too.  Sure, it would be interesting what you find out.

I'll do the test then.

[benchthis]

1 hour ago, Love Zhaoying said:

You may not attempt to gain an unfair advantage in search results through the use of Scripted Agents to inflate the traffic for a parcel. This policy applies to both mainland and private estates, as Second Life search includes both. Please refer to the Second Life Terms and Conditions, section 5.i.

Was wondering where some very popular places trending for years went, guess they peaced out to larger things. 

[benchthis]

1 hour ago, Rowan Amore said:

Sort of like this 'popular' escort club that ranks 5th in search?  There was ONE girl in the actual club and the rest were in a skybox, hidden from view.  

When I first started I'd travel around based on suggested places and some I saw to be popular on map and went in to look and no one there, everyone hiding, after gaining more experience and with special tools learned to explore a little more and found avatars standing on platforms, it's not like they are hiding them. They appears to be alts. So there are bots that are alts and then there are bots controlled by a main or alt to control something that does not have ownership. 

[Rowan Amore]

7 minutes ago, benchthis said:

it's not like they are hiding them. They appears to be alts.

Call them what you will but they are using them to game traffic.  A bot can be a standard avatar.  That many "alts" way up, hidden from view, are in most cases, unregistered bots used to game traffic.

[benchthis]

44 minutes ago, Arielle Popstar said:

Linden Lab reserves the right to act where we see evidence of non-compliance with the Scripted Agent Policy or applicable privacy regulations. At our discretion, enforcement may include removing violating Scripted Agents and supporting scripts from Second Life, requesting explanations of Personal Data activities, requesting changes to how Automated Access mechanisms function, or suspending or terminating service.

Least there's an alt kill switch. Would be simple to figure out which ones are unregistered scripted agents bots.

The last part bout requesting explianations of personal data and blahblah is not clear enough.