New World Newsfeed: US Congress Talks To The Metaverse (Updated)

Recent dispatches from the outside world...

Congress Holds First Hearing on Virtual Worlds; Linden Lab CEO Philip Rosedale Testifies | Virtually Blind

For those who missed the live video stream from Washington D.C. this morning, Virtually Blind has a great summary of the hearing; most participating Congress people come off as surprisingly well-informed, and report owning avatars themselves.  (Though one expresses discomfort that the term derives from the Sanskrit word for "godly incarnation".) They discussed business and non-profit uses of virtual worlds beyond external marketing, and on the negative side, raise the issue of child endangerment and terrorism. 

One correction to the Virtual Law report: it's not a "largely discredited idea" that Al Qaeda and other extremists are using Second Life for nefarious purposes.  Last year, reputed terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna confirmed to me that he and his team of investigators are, in fact, monitoring jihadists in Second Life.  Then again, extremists also use e-mail encryption, web community forums, video sites, and other Net technologies, so the pertinent question is whether additional, metaverse-unique security measures are necessary.  Here, Philip's answer to that concern is a good one: "because we have a stronger recorded identity there, it is likely that virtual world activities are somewhat more policeable and the law is more enforceable there than it is on websites.”

Video from the hearing was streamed in-world into a replica of the House Subcommittee hall, and Rik Riel has great photos from the site (including the one above.)  If five years ago you told me that a leading American politician would preside over a simulacrum of Congress in avatar form, I'd call you deranged.  But here he is.

Update, 2:27pm:  The video of the hearing is now available online here.

Comments

[Laetizia Coronet]

...and report owning avatars themselves...

You know, years back when I went to buy a car stereo for my old VW Golf, the salesman played some heavy bass house music for me. When I asked him to find something to my taste - I am a jazz lover - he quickly added that he, too, preferred jazz but 'all his CDs were in the car'.
And then he couldn't find the jazz channel on the radio.

'Nuff said?

[Benamin Duranske]

Thanks for the link. Rik's pictures are great. I think Representative Harman overstated the case for terrorists in virtual worlds, but I added an update linking to the article here. The fact that there are jihadists that use virtual worlds (and email, games, and the web) and that people try to track their activities in virtual worlds is still a far cry from saying that virtual worlds are being used as vehicles for terrorist recruitment, funds transfer, and training -- and I haven't really seen anything that convinces me that's true at this point.

[Metaforum]

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