Curiouser and curiouser

[Keli Kyrie]

Feeling sad at the sight of Broccoli locked up I try to offer her my prize possession... a cupcake. She must be more upset than I because she won't take it. Poor traffic bot... Oops I mean saint... Saint Broccoli.



[Marigold Devin]

 

Someone contacted me inworld, said, click "Ctrl" and "3" then click on an attachment belonging to the avatar, shows what group the active group tag belongs to. And lo, I did just that, and look what it revealed...



I checked other *movie star* avatars also, and found them to be in the same Traffic Injection group.

Looking further into the Traffic Injection group via profiles in the group list, and on their website (information about that to be found from the profile in the group list), it would seem this group primarily was set up to improve traffic for people.

Of course, using traffic bots is against ToS, but this organisation are still in existence - and obviously brokli, and all the other *movie star* avatars that are dotted about all over the mainland (and so far I've counted 87) are not faking traffic. They could  be advertising great places to visit; if you look at the profile picks for all these avatars, they have a full list of ten places, but a closer look often reveals a lot of these places to be no longer in existence.  Therefore the picks are out of date and worthless.

So, why would someone pay to lease 87 or so of these bots from Traffic Injection organisation?

It looks like they are monitoring something - the way they are set up. Heck, they could even be copybotting everything from anyone who comes within range of them. Whatever it is they're doing, it has to be financially viable.

So, Alazarin, keep a close eye on your resident bot.  And don't turn your back on her, or she'll possibly have the clothes off your back!

I'm off to my RL bed (gone 3am here in UK) and will consider this some more.  Feeling rather noob in this moment. (How did I not know about "Ctrl" and "3" before now?! - thank you to my friend, who shall remain nameless, for teaching me this.)



[Alazarin Mondrian]

Now that was something that never ocurred to me. So I looked up the Traffic Injection group and found a link to their website. Hmmm someone's either spending alot of money for nothing or else the software running those bots is unattended. Suffice to say that I can neither afford their services nor would I buy their services.

And, from what I've gathered, these traffic injector bots appear to be be doing nothing other than hanging out on abandoned or Linden land.Are we witnessing the fate of unemployed bots? They certainly seem to be zombies of one sort or another.

[Keli Kyrie]

That is kind of the way I see it. The computer is on but no one is home. From all my research on these bots it only seems like they are concerned about traffic, but traffic on abandoned land? Someone programmed these thing and left them running is what I think... what happened to the programmers is anyone's guess.

[Marigold Devin]

Time for a music break ...

I don't think they have been programmed and forgotten about. I think they're very active, just not doing what they think we think they might be doing. brokli at Crescent went offline a few weeks ago, and stayed offline for several weeks, but is now back in situ.  Around that cluster of sims are other *movie star* avs whose names begin with "b". Over on route 1 and route 2 (around where the picnic table is at Lyonet), that cluster of sims had an avatar in each sim, the names of which all began with "m". These bots have been offline for around a week now, but will probably be back within the next couple of weeks.

It looks to me like these bots are very active.  They're obviously not generating traffic. They all have been carefully placed onto Linden owned land, either on roadside, or abandoned land.  Each of the bots is feeding back to whoever is renting them (?) from Traffic Injection group,all the information it's programmed to pick up from each sim.  Then the bot programmer can just look up the name of the bot, know which sim it was placed in, and collate all the information it's sent back.

As individual soulless beings, dotted about, looking like "real people", because of how their profiles have been so cleverly constructed, people ignore them. Nothing to AR. And if anyone does submit an AR against one bot, on what grounds can they AR? And should they AR?

But it looks suspicious to me. There are some great uses for bots, but I think the information these are gathering could be collected via a prim rezzed in world, but of course this would mean that someone would have to pay tier fees, and their name would be visible inworld. Which makes me come to the conclusion that these *movie star* avatars are up to no good. 

Looking at the services Traffic Injection group have to offer, both from the information they give on their website, and inworld, http://slurl.com/secondlife/Relleri/138/38/74  I question how this organisation is making it's money (legitimately) with the current economic climate, and the huge fact that traffic generating bots were outlawed way back in 2008. 

One part of profile pick on an av at the above SLurl says:

"With the introduction in second life of web profiles we finally realise what was a long time which advertising
through dedicated profiles,Web profiles can be a very powerful tool to advertise your business, they can
contain logos,links lots of information,profile picks,connection with out world platforms,accessible from the
World Wide Web, and the best thing they will be done at our advertisers profiles.So each time their profiles
are checked that person will be prompt with your business information links and picks all available in
seconds by a click what can be more simple?
web profiles service is a effective and reliable way to advertise your business
MORE INFOS AT (WEB)
http://www.traffic-injection.co.nr/
http://www.ti-ad-net.co.nr/
http://www.ti-blog.co.nr/
MORE INFOS (IN WORLD)
OFFICE 1 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Relleri/135/48/48
OFFICE 2 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Riemann/7/225/55
OFFICE 3 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Portugal%20Center/182/241/34



But, back to brokli at Crescent. Makes no sense. The only place she is actually generating traffic for, is that little shrine at Crescent. Many of her profile picks lead to "unknown region"/closed businesses. She doesn't interact, or even dance on a pole. Pointless clutter is all she is (stop saying "awwww" people!!!) ... so she has to be gathering information rather than generating traffic.

[Marigold Devin]

---

Keli Kyrie wrote:

That is kind of the way I see it. The computer is on but no one is home. From all my research on these bots it only seems like they are concerned about traffic, but traffic on abandoned land? Someone programmed these thing and left them running is what I think... what happened to the programmers is anyone's guess.

---

I wanted to resist the urge of saying that what probably happened to the programmer of the *movie star* bots is that they died, and their body lies undiscovered in it's basement, the dogs having eaten their face off by now.

But that's just not nice, so I won't say it. :matte-motes-little-laugh:

[DQ Darwin]

Marigold, I am so happy you didn't say that:P

[Wildcat Furse]

these are bots running on a standalone program called 'pikkubot' ..... they are most used as models in stores, some people have so many bots that sometimes they forget where they are or they just don't bother anymore.... as long if the 'pikkubot' application is active the bots are alive! *meows*

 

[Perrie Juran]

---

Marigold Devin wrote:

 

Someone contacted me inworld, said, click "Ctrl" and "3" then click on an attachment belonging to the avatar, shows what group the active group tag belongs to. And lo, I did just that, and look what it revealed...



I checked other *movie star* avatars also, and found them to be in the same Traffic Injection group.

Looking further into the Traffic Injection group via profiles in the group list, and on their website (information about that to be found from the profile in the group list), it would seem this group primarily was set up to improve traffic for people.

Of course, using traffic bots is against ToS, but this organisation are still in existence - and obviously brokli, and all the other *movie star* avatars that are dotted about all over the mainland (and so far I've counted 87) are not faking traffic. They

could

  be advertising great places to visit; if you look at the profile picks for all these avatars, they have a full list of ten places,

but

a closer look often reveals a lot of these places to be no longer in existence.  Therefore the picks are out of date and worthless.

So, why would someone pay to lease 87 or so of these bots from Traffic Injection organisation?

It looks like they are monitoring something - the way they are set up. Heck, they could even be copybotting everything from anyone who comes within range of them. Whatever it is they're doing, it has to be financially viable.

So, Alazarin, keep a close eye on your resident bot.  And don't turn your back on her, or she'll possibly have the clothes off your back!

I'm off to my RL bed (gone 3am here in UK) and will consider this some more.  Feeling rather noob in this moment. (How did I not know about "Ctrl" and "3" before now?! - thank you to my friend, who shall remain nameless, for teaching me this.)



---

Perhaps you should forward this information on to Soft Linden.  He was very involved in the whole Red Zone fiasco and has the tools to see what we can't, that is, what is going on and if it is in violation. 

There is a huge potential for abuse here, that is using attachments rather than rezzed objects to circumvent no build settings grid wise.  I don't like what I am seeing here.

[Dillon Levenque]

---

Keli Kyrie wrote:

That is kind of the way I see it. The computer is on but no one is home. From all my research on these bots it only seems like they are concerned about traffic, but traffic on abandoned land? Someone programmed these thing and left them running is what I think... what happened to the programmers is anyone's guess.

---

A fascinating idea. Kind of a 'World Of Ptavvs' thing.The bots were placed here by someone who came before us. A civilization that has vanished in the mists of time.They were put here to harvest our data but the Daddy Server to which they are directed is no longer there.

There can be only one response: eradication. Unless one of them does learn to pole dance.

 

[Imnotgoing Sideways]

Dude... ()

 

 

[Hrdtop75 Deluxe]

The most bizzar thing happened to me today, I went down to Tuliptree to Rez in a train.

As the region started to load in I noticed a tall female avatar walking down the rails towards the station.                                I zoomed in and noticed the "Movie Star" group tag. I couldn't believe it this one was walking.                                           The chase was on but before I caught up to her she had already jumped up onto the platform and sat down.

Straight away I got onto group chat to tell everyone what I had just seen then the Movie Star disappeared.                           It dawned on me that she was sitting in a rez zone, so I got out a shotgun thinking I might be able to send her                   home when she returns.                                                                                                                                                         Afew minutes go by and I deside to go AFK and make myself a coffee. When I returned the Movie Star had already seated itself.

I started to load up a video capture program when........ she started to rez in again, I put as many rounds into her as I could before she sat down BUT.............. she just stood there and looked at me. Then the Movie Star put her hands on her wast looked up and to her right (similar look to when a newbie TP's in a friend). Then another avatar appeared about 2 meters away from the Movie Star.                                                                                                                                                 When Tusa M*** rezzed in I asked "Do you control the Movie Stars and what are they for?"

Tusa M*** started to type in local chat but never posted what she was going to say, then Tusa walked away and disappeared. Then the Movie Star looked at me again and disappeared.

After this I went to visit Broklie, she stands up now.

[Alazarin Mondrian]

Perrie, 87 Movie Stars bots? Good grief!! Presuming for a minute that they're gathering information, I'd say they're largely a wasted effort. The 4 that I've seen are in very low-traffic areas [including Crescent: we don't get many visitors].

What I do know is that I paid a visit to one of the Traffic Injection shops and filed a support ticket [with the Traffic Injection group, *not* LL] about Brokli and her lost compatriots. They promptly disappeared for a week but Brokli's since returned. So I'll presume her companions have as well. It could have been a coincidence that she disappeared after I filed a support ticket as I recieved no actual reply from the group or whoever might be behind their website.

The groups' stores are small and stuffed full of bots doing various tasks. They don't really interact with normal avatars but do seem to be capable of spitting out blocks of saved text.

[Alazarin Mondrian]

---

Imnotgoing Sideways wrote:

Dude... (

)

---

Eh?

[Hrdtop75 Deluxe]

I would not be surprised if they were Land Bots.

I found a very nice *Movie Star* today at Togata, she new her way around a 351 Cleveland...... I think I'm in lust. :matte-motes-inlove:

[Daria Linette]

Hiya all,

Being an occasional by-road explorer, I already noticed these many "movie stars" a while ago and wondered about who they were and what they are here for.
Lately, one of them appeared in the vicinity of a friend's land and we begun to investigate a bit further. According to my friend (she's a long-term resident and an experimented builder), such bots are an efficient way to watch a whole sim. What's more, we noticed there is rarely more than one Movie Star per sim, and that the ones sitting in near regions often have the same date of birth...

As for the rest, everything matches: totally ordinary and maybe pre-formatted profile description, outfit made of good-looking freebies, no groups showing but (using ctrl+3 method) appears to belong to "Traffic Injection", very decent ARC and script account, connected under some nondescript viewer, camping on public or abandoned lands, etc.

So, amongst all theories I could read in this thread, the "spy bot" one appears like the most plausible one to me. Did you notice that the T.I. group charter remains totally silent about the nature of the "expertise and experience" they claim to deliver, hmm?

IMHO, this group title could be a good smoke screen and a nice cover for some kind of private investigation business... Maybe RedZone has had some heirs... :matte-motes-zipped:

Anyway, you can try to ask for an autograph to another Movie Star, dyrty Yimg, here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Velda/120/213/50

No need to dash, she doesn't look like she's having itchy feet. :matte-motes-wink-tongue:

Cya :womanhappy:

[Ags Falconer]

---

Janelle Darkstone wrote:

 

Marigold spent about a week in the hospital and was checked out just today, fully recovered.  To celebrate her miraculous recovery, Janelle and Marigold went to their favorite roadside picnic table and had broccoli soup, coffee and donuts and both had a wonderful, completely PG-rated time.

---

Dang!  I missed the broccoli soup!!

<note_to_self>Don't leave for a year without considering the ramifications.<note_to_self/>

[Hrdtop75 Deluxe]

Looks like the ★Movie Star ★  school holidays has ended.

Theeeeiiiiirrrr BAAAAaaaaack

This one was found today on the highway at Welcome area Korea3

[Marigold Devin]

---

Hrdtop75 Deluxe wrote:

Looks like the ★Movie Star ★  school holidays has ended.

Theeeeiiiiirrrr BAAAAaaaaack

This one was found today on the highway at Welcome area Korea3

---

Nice photo, Hrdtop.  :matte-motes-big-grin:

All the "j", "k", "x", "z" first names are out currently. And I still don't know what they're monitoring. Most of them are sitting on parcels of abandoned land.  Odd that you should see one at Korea3, and sitting.

I took this picture late last night (another one with first name beginning with "j")

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Zoshchenko/52/156/92

Maybe instead of the Spring photo contest LL are currently running, they should be running one with these *movie star*s :matte-motes-wink:





[Dillon Levenque]

---

Marigold Devin wrote:

Maybe instead of the Spring photo contest LL are currently running, they should be running one with these *movie star*s :matte-motes-wink:

---

Now that is a great idea, and even if LL doesn't give it a special Contest place there's no reason it can't run here, is there? Hrdtop, I know a man can't be too careful but I think the twelve guage might be a bit overboard. The current theory suggests a stake through the heart is sufficient.

[Marigold Devin]

Stakes, Steaks, guns, and broccoli at the ready then! :matte-motes-wink-tongue:

[Hrdtop75 Deluxe]

I guess a gun would be a little bit over kill in a no rez zone.

The steak to the hart sounded like a better option

 

Turns out this one is a vegetarian

I like the idea of a photo contest, that would be fun.

I've been doing some happy laps of Heterocera to find some of the old "Movie Stars" , however none of them are out.

My find from Korea3 has not returned but there seems to be alot more Bots from "Aurora Advertising" group. 

[Alazarin Mondrian]

What have I started? Brokli and her sisters have become veritable Grid Stars. Looks like they're back for another season

 

[Marigold Devin]

---

Hrdtop75 Deluxe wrote:

I guess a gun would be a little bit over kill in a no rez zone.

The steak to the hart sounded like a better option

 

Turns out this one is a vegetarian

I like the idea of a photo contest, that would be fun.

I've been doing some happy laps of Heterocera to find some of the old "Movie Stars" , however none of them are out.

My find from Korea3 has not returned but there seems to be alot more Bots from "Aurora Advertising" group. 

---

This was fun to wake up to, and I did laugh at you attempting to feed your *movie star* GF with "man food" (said in a very deep voice) :matte-motes-wink:

I have a handful of *movie star* names from the different regions (including the original brokli of course) on my online tracker, and there haven't been any online offline movements for a while. Sadly now, of course, LL have stopped this device from sending these alerts out to my email.

Peraut, Morestello, and the surrounding sims, seems to be where the "p", "x" and "z" bots are out currently.  I'm visualising some dude behind his computer - or two - spending time logging these critters in. 

We all have strange hobbies it seems. I still don't think they're advertising; that's just a smoke screen. They're monitoring something (but I may be wrong) - only because a lot of the links on the picks are out of date.

@ Alazarin :matte-motes-big-grin: - indeed, what did you start?  Happy laps, as Mr Deluxe says - and I agree. It's fun.

 

[Phil Deakins]

---

Daria Linette wrote:

As for the rest, everything matches: totally ordinary and maybe pre-formatted profile description, outfit made of good-looking freebies, no groups showing but (using ctrl+3 method) appears to belong to "Traffic Injection", very decent ARC and script account, connected under some nondescript viewer, camping on public or abandoned lands, etc.

 

So, amongst all theories I could read in this thread, the "spy bot" one appears like the most plausible one to me. Did you notice that the T.I. group charter remains totally silent about the nature of the "expertise and experience" they claim to deliver, hmm?

---

I haven't read this thread apart from a few of the early posts and the last page. I think I suggested what I'm about to suggest early in the thread.

From what you wrote, the bots don't strike me as being spybots. The group name surely gives it away as being traffic for sale, which means sending bots to customer parcels for a paid-for amount of time, which was no doubt made up in bits during a 24 period (in out in out etc.) rather than in just one long visit. It used to happen before the manipulating of traffic was banned. So my best guess with these bots is that they still do the same thing.

As a bot user, if I were selling bot traffic, I'd prefer them to be logged in so that they can TP to parcels, rather than log them in each time, which can go wrong, so having them logged in and parked makes some sense to me. It also makes sense to me to have them logged in in different places rather than in a group somewhere, which could easily attract unwanted attention.

It wouldn't surprise me if each of the bots occasionally disappears for a short period from where it is parked - to service the contract.

My take on the Group Charter is simply that the text has been changed since traffic manipulation was banned, and it was easier to do that than create a new group and log all the bots in to join it.