Can my employer track what I do on second life?

[Tomsgirl]

I just want to know if my employer or the internet provider that I use that goes through my employer will be able to see what I do on second life.

[Rolig Loon]

Not unless you tell him, or one of your co-workers sees you in SL and tells him.  If you are worried, though, it's smart to use an anonymous alt when you are doing things in SL that you would rather not have your RL friends, family, and employer know about.  Many people who have professional reasons to be in SL as teachers, librarians, counselors, or business people do exactly that. (Professor by day ... pole dancer after hours....  :smileywink: )

[thatsoul]

does this mean that not even internet providers can view where you go?

[Venus Petrov]

Your employer may not allow you to install SL onto a work computer unless your job specifically calls for you to use SL.  Depending upon your company and the sophistication of your IT group, you may be blocked from accessing SL-related websites.  Or your IT group might keep logs of all internet sites employees visit.  The logic for this is that you are supposed to be using work computers for work. 

Anyway, the best way to find out is to ask your manager what is the policy for using your computer at work for SL or web-surfing unrelated to your work.  Be transparent about this.

[Rolig Loon]

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thatsoul asked: does this mean that not even internet providers can view where you go?

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That's a different question than the OP asked.  Your ISP can tell what sites you have visited because it is possible to track your IP addresses.  If your employer were clever enough, he could too.   That would only tell them that you were using Second Life, though.  It wouldn't tell them what you were doing here.   THAT's what the OP asked.  The IP address will just get them to the front gate of SL, and no farther. 

[Peggy Paperdoll]

Apparently you have some concern about your use of your employer's computer on your employer's network.  I would venture to say that that is a valid concern.  It's not your computer, it's not your network, and as far as time is concerned it's not really your time either.  You are paid to do a job and your employer evidently has provided you a computer and a network to get some part (or even all) of your job done...........your employer compensates you that time.  That's the nature of employment.

 

Since you asked if your employer can track you in SL.  The answer is generally no...........but that is not entirely true.  Since you access the Internet through the employer's network, your employer is perfectly within it's rights to monitor what you do on their network.  IP's of what sites you visit, how long you stayed on the site, and how often you visit the site are easily logged.  The servers for SL all have IP addresses......those IP addresses are quite public and easily found by any network administrator (they will know you visited SL's servers and how long you were at those servers).  It would not take a genius to know if you are there for more than just a few minutes and there several times a day or week that you are not simply browsing a site......especially when that site is a log in server.  So it's very easy for them to accurately determine that you are logged into SL.  Then there's another little thing about using someone elses computer on someone elses network.  The owner of the computer and network are also very much within their rights to install a key logger on the computer you are assigned to use for work purposes (and they don't have to inform you that a key logger is installed).  That means it's possible that everything you type on your keyboard is logged.........and can be read by your employer.  So, to some extent, yes your employer can know (at least partially know) what you are doing while logged into SL.

 

Not trying to scare you, but you seem concerned.......and since you are concerned, now is the time to uninstall (along with deleting log files)  SL from your work computer.  Start using your computer for what your employer expects you to use it for.  It all might be too late...........but just in case, quit playing while at work.