Second Life 2.0's Shared Media Can Expose Real Life Identity Details - Lindens Post Protection Tips, Security Upgrade

The Shared Media function of Linden Lab's new Second Life viewer 2.0 makes a lot of of great innovations possible, but by enabling fully interactive web content to stream into SL, it also makes something else possible -- as SL entrepreneur Peter Stindberg points out, it can also be used to track the IP address of a Resident viewing the media, and that reveals in great detail the person's real life location.

I checked this concern last week with the Lindens, who said they were working on a response, and it finally went live here: "[W]e have received Resident concerns around whether a website can gather IP information from avatars in Second Life," writes Samuel Linden. "The answer is that it's possible, but it would take considerable effort." Instructions on disabling shared media follow, along with the announcement that the latest version of Viewer 2 stores "cookies" per unique user rather than per Viewer. "This is important because it means that a website can't tie multiple accounts to a single user." If you used Shared Media and are concerned about privacy exposure, you'll want to read the whole post.

Image credit: Second Stinberg.

Comments

[Sioban McMahon]

For the great majority of residents, this is going to be inconsequential.

People who are being stalked or those with other strong needs or desires to keep SL and RL completely separate are the ones who will be affected. Even then, what is the level of information? Your general location, such as your town, and the name of your internet provider?

[Valiant Westland]

I understand and appreciate why a small number of people in SL would be concerned about "cyber stalking." For most users, this simply isn't an issue. For those who use SL for nefarious activities and are concerned they may lose their cloak of anonymity, I have ZERO sympathy!

[Vlad Bjornson]

All of that same info is shared any time you surf the Web. http://mybrowserinfo.com/detail.asp

I guess the only real difference is that a site could tie that info to your avatar name. Easily avoided (disabled) for those that are concerned. I'll wager that some clever coder will come up with a way to proxy or otherwise obfuscate this info when surfing from within SL.

[Adric Antfarm]

So, Mr. Au...

Can't you see my IP when I post this? In fact, can't any web page I go to do the same? Or someone looking in the header of any email I send?

People, if you want to live in fear, do it. Just get off the net so the rest of can go on in peace.

http://www.koinup.com/AdricAntfarm/work/239937/

[Nat Surface]

The fact that the Lindens are taking this (nonsense) seriously just goes to show how many hoops they're willing to jump through to assuage resident concerns... Even when they're straight-up looney.

Can we all please stop being so looney and let them do real work?

[Talia Tokugawa]

Errm this has always been possible through the regular land media. You can direct that to play for a specific avatar, using that and a sensor you can direct avatars to autoplay land media and attach details of the avatar to the url they view.. (www.example.com/ipcap.php?k=avatarkey)
From that and geoip you can get those exact same details without using shared media and as I say you have been able to do this for a long time.
Personally I've used this to get metrics working out stuff like where specific sims attract interest from in the real world.
I have however given up on this as it requires for the users to have media turned on for this to work. Therefore it skews any metrics towards countries that have greater broadband coverage.
If you are really worried about this then deactivate land media.
If you happen to teleport into somewhere new and see the media control "flicker", ie start to play then 0.2secs (aprx)stop again, then it's more than likely you've just had your ip tracked.
SOooo, I am not sure why this is suddenly a big issue. As those in know know it's been like this for a long time before shared media has come in.

[FlipperPA Peregrine]

To echo what's already been said...

If this really, really concerns you, be sure you never visit a third party Second Life blog, forum site, Google... hell, may as well just unplug your computer. Or, if you're really a dude from North Philly pretending to be a hot female lesbian fashion model from Paris, then maybe... but you could just lie and say you're in Philadelphia for a fashion shoot!

Seriously people, be far more paranoid about stolen laptops from the NSA or your bank's security functions. That stuff is actually scary. This is not.

BY VISITING THIS VERY SITE HAMLET MAY KNOW* WHERE YOU LIVE!

Regards,

-Flip

* within several hundred miles, if the geo-location by IP is accurate, which it often is not

[Sioban McMahon]

"BY VISITING THIS VERY SITE HAMLET MAY KNOW* WHERE YOU LIVE!"

Well, if he's dropping by my place, I hope he brings me a nice souvenir from Austin.

[Adric Antfarm]

Good idea Sioban. If you do drive down to San Antonio, I think we would all like a picture of Hamlet in front of the Alamo for our scrapbooks.

Oh Flip, you now have me thinking every girl I ever chat with is Charlie from Always Sunny...

Yes, my geo tracks to an amusement park across town. It's not there anymore (update Google Maps) but feel free to visit.