Wired just published a belated story on the wrongful termination lawsuit by a Muslim-American security expert that New World Notes broke last month, but it has some new information on the controversy -- including an official statement by Linden Lab:
The suit alleges company executives retaliated against her for flagging cybersecurity risks and potential violations of anti-money-laundering laws, child exploitation, and data misuse...
“While we will fight her alleged claims in court, we deny any allegations that the company has engaged in any illegal activity,” said Linden Lab spokesperson Brett Atwood. “Ms. [Kavya] Pearlman left the company on March 15 only after she was given the opportunity to improve her work performance. We look forward to all the facts coming out in a court of law,” he said, declining additional comment because of the lawsuit.
I just reached out to Ms. Pearlman, who stands by the security-related allegations in her lawsuit -- and says she has concrete evidence of her claims:
"Having written proof of everything that I am alleging," Ms. Pearlman tells me, "I look forward to discovery of fact and taking those facts to the court of law. Even Linden Lab knows, dismissing these allegations by citing some work performance issue of an industry expert on cybersecurity and compliance is yet another way of potentially attributing 'look away'. This is not new, it happens to security professionals raising security and privacy concerns, only in this case concrete proofs exist and truth is bound to come out."
Earlier this week, an anonymous tipster sent me a link suggesting (if not definitively proving) that at least one of the skilled game applicants is a convicted sex offender. Pearlman confirms that this is a legitimate concern:
"That a sex offender is potentially conducting skilled gaming is an example of Linden Lab ignoring [the] mandated Fincen rule of KYC ( know your customer)", as she puts it.
Notably, the Wired article reports that another former Linden Lab staff member confirmed to the magazine the existence of a likely "smoking gun" memo from the company's former chief compliance officer, one that's mentioned in Pearlman's lawsuit,; in it, she raised these issues, and a related one -- that the existence of age players (i.e. simulated pedophilia) in Second Life remains a constant problem that the company has not sufficiently addressed. It's a problem the CCO reportedly acknowledges in the memo:
The lawsuit claims that Scott Butler, Linden Lab’s former chief compliance officer, wrote a memo to other executives in June 2018 “urging compliance with cybersecurity laws consistent with Pearlman’s repeated concerns” and recommending that she be appointed the company’s Chief Information Security Officer. A former high-level Linden Lab employee confirmed the contents of the memo. The former employee said the memo “indicated that there should be more scrutiny on the ‘skill gaming program,’” and recommended Linden Lab adopt a suggestion from Pearlman to determine why it “had not been able to prevent the seedy population of ‘age-players’ from returning to Second Life, time and again.”
When asked whether Pearlman’s description of events regarding ageplay violations is accurate, Atwood, the Linden Lab spokesperson, declined to comment.
The discovery process is happening now, with the first public court appearance likely expected in coming months. So we will know more soon.
It's why LL dropped Tilia on everybody all of a sudden, to hide the fact they're making millions off sick pervs.
All the white dudes don't care. Took a real woman to call them on it.
Posted by: Amelia | Friday, August 16, 2019 at 09:03 PM
The only way to get rid of age play of the sexual nature would be banning avatars that are child like from being made and sold at all. LL ban them, but there is no adequate means to keep them out of anything. Not to mention that they can't police everyone all the time. While they could charge per account again to avoid some bullshit it would still be easy enough to circumvent things.
Posted by: Jk | Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 01:42 AM
@Amelia - What "real woman"? How are other women less real? Could you explain why you are discriminating other women?
Posted by: Mike | Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 05:00 AM
I'm surprised Pearlman has time to be interviewed. She's probably inundated with offers from other tech companies who are dying to get her on their team.
Posted by: Nadia | Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 05:50 AM
@Nadia Would you hire someone who played the "racism" card once she got fired? I would be very careful there. At least I would wait and see what really happened. Time will tell.
Posted by: Mike | Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 08:18 AM
Sounds like somebody who got pissed off when all he needed to do was log off
Posted by: Waking people up | Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 08:56 AM
Poor lil Mikey. You're hatred of women is showing. Get mental health help fast. Check LL's HR if they cover the cost?
But you shouldn't accept it anyway because it were women who fought for that.
Posted by: Cranium | Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 09:24 AM
linden Labs has the child Avatar category in the second life marketplace. If they really wanted to do away with age play, they wouldn't allow sellers to sell child avatars and accessories in the marketplace. I've spoken to people inside the game who have told me that there are actual linden lab employees who partake in ageplay. I saw a comment on a website for putting reviews so that parents know which places are appropriate for their children. A woman says she was sent a teleport to a place a guy was at a Sim she hadn't been to before. When she landed there were adults as child avatars(naked) and some of them were linden lab employees. As soon as she landed she was banned from the Sim and banned from the entire game itself. I've spoken to a guy who told me that there are linden lab employees who are in motorcycle clubs who like to grief Sims and if you oppose them you have the high chance of having your account banned from the game. so seeing this being reported about age play et cetera definitely doesn't surprise me, especially with these new revelations from residents as well. I don't know why I need a link to post my comment so I'm just going to put a random one in there.
Posted by: Kitty | Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 10:45 AM
It's so true there's age play. I had a sl family and my sl husband decided it would be fun to have sex with our daughter while she was a child avatar. He said it was his fetish. To have daddy daughter sex. They both have quit sl since that happened but it ruined the game for me completely.
Posted by: Ali | Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 11:11 AM
I'm a woman who loves her gender. Ms. Pearlman's allegations are bullshit, and embarrassing as a woman. She was fired because she was a pain in the ass who couldn't get along with coworkers and over-stepped her duties repeatedly. She demonstrates that several times in her lawsuit. It had nothing to do with her gender, or religion, or the color of her skin, and everything to do with being an entitled jackass.
If she had anything on LL, she could have easily blown the whistle. She didn't do that, though, did she?
She wants money and notoriety, since any company would be absolutely stupid to give her a job, and she's trying to get those things with her bogus lawsuit by acting like an poor injured little girl instead of a grown ass professional.
All she's doing is making it harder for women to break into the tech industry, and even more depressing, harder for women who actually are victims of discrimination to be taken seriously.
Hamlet, this little blog is the SL equivalent of yellow journalism, except you aren't a journalist.
You really need to get laid.
Posted by: Beth Macbain | Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 12:01 PM
Imvu doing it too. I went in rooms with pedophiles
Posted by: Cam | Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 12:44 PM
@BETH MCBAIN Woman who respects her gender calling
another woman “entitled jackass” for reporting lack of compliance security violations to the legal system
A community blog SL equivalent of yellow journalism
Calling an award winning top cybersecurity influencer “poor little girl” who wants money
Calling a legal case that’s already in progress with evidence and due process “a bogus lawsuit”
Telling the bearer of the actual news to “get laid”
Calling any company hiring top cybersecurity professional “stupid”
You respect nothing - not your gender, not someone”s intelligence, not the US legal system, not the individuals shedding light on truth. Being a white woman sure as hell is not the same as being a minority in tech company trying to advocate for the right thing to do. Stop doing LL”s bidding - Your entitlement n lack of knowledge is showing along with your hatred - being a woman gives you no right to talk trash about another woman who has the courage to go public before a data breach actually takes place due to all the issues being ignored.. she in fact, just did LL a huge favor, leaving them no option but to comply with laws.
Posted by: Yournextdoorlawyer | Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 01:29 PM
@personwhoistoomuchofacowardtousetheirname, I read the lawsuit and I stand by every word I've said. Where is the proof that anything she alleges is true? It'll come out in the discovery phase, I suppose, if she has any. I don't think she does. I think she's rattling cages hoping LL will settle out of court. I think they are going to show her for the fool she is.
No, I don't respect this person. I've read her words. If I'm wrong, I'll eat my words.
And if you respected women, you would also be appalled by women crying wolf.
And Hamlet badly needs an orgasm. That much I'm absolutely certain about.
Posted by: Beth Macbain | Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 03:00 PM
Been keeping an eye on this since Au first reported. (Also read the whole thing). Some of the 'concrete' does raise an eyelid so first: Ageplay - in my experience, whenever I have run across this crap the Lab response has been swift. Hammers all round. Good.
Second : 'skilled gaming' AKA, not my bag so no experience. Uneasy, sure, but again tend to give the Lab the benefit of the doubt. Naif, possibly.
As for ser Pearlman there, read some early published stuff and 'derivative' is a word that could have been invented for it. Not to worry though, check out the xr4all stuff under EU Grant Agreement Nº 825545. It certainly landed on its feet. (Yes sent a word to a couple of MEPs over that)
Signed as always as me. I might be wrong but hell its my take.
Posted by: sirhc desantis | Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 03:30 PM
I have been reporting age play locations, groups, and individuals (ie location and group owners) for YEARS without absolutely ANY action being taken by Linden Labs.
I've gone so far as to use my premium membership to access live chat to go out of my way to bring attention to these reports of particularly extreme cases and was simply told "your case will be looked into when we get around to it" regarding large and busy destinations that are still accessible to this day.
Even more unfortunate is that swaths of age play content continues to be readily accessible by a simple use of the search function that anyone can do.
It boggles my mind how negligent leadership has been and continues to be, and their willingness to turn a blind eye when and where convenient.
In my over ten years in second life, I've found myself consistently disappointed. If it wasn't for the remaining dwindling community of creaters and dreamers that continue to make it worth returning each day... My wallet and I would have already left.
That's the ugly truth.
Posted by: L. Fox | Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 06:16 PM
Is it pedophilia when two 45-year-old people using the SL system have pixel sex, and one has a mesh female adult body and the other a mesh child-like body? Is this pedophilia?
Is it pedophilia when two 45-year-old females using the SL system have pixel sex, and one has a mesh male adult body and the other a mesh female child-like body? Is this pedophilia or rape?
Is it homosexual when two 45 year people using the SL system have pixel sex, and one has a mesh female adult body, and the other has a mesh female adult body, but one of two is male in real life? Is this homosexual?
Is it bestiality when a real-life male and a real-life female who know each other for years through Skype voice and video, and partnered for years in SL, and the real-life female puts on a mesh male furry body and her male partner still in his mesh female human body have pixel sex? Is this bestiality?
If I, as a female mesh avatar, do not stand up at the start of pixel sex because I’m uncomfortable with the mesh male that is on top of me. And who is repeatedly using all my body slappers and is using animation positions that I would never agree to in real life if I say out loud to my self at the keyboard “I hate this,” but I don’t stop it by standing up, is this actual rape?
Posted by: Simple Lemon | Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 07:18 PM
A sign of the times, everyone is a victim now.
Social media has ruined this country and Ms. Pearlman is just a symptom of a disease.
Posted by: Divided We Stand | Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 09:52 PM
@Divided We Stand
You're so right. It's so true. Social media has ruined the country. There is no turning back, it's only going to get much worse than it is now.
Posted by: Simple Lemon | Sunday, August 18, 2019 at 12:13 AM
In all honesty, this is digital. I would rather a pedophile go after a child avatar that's ran by an adult then a child offline which is what they would probably be doing if they didn't have an addiction to sl which is what some of you seem to be a implying. There are bigger things to worry about and i wouldn't even call this age play, I'll call it child paedophilia.
Anywho when both parties are adults, i don't see an issue. Really what you want is for LL to age verify everyone on the site which is kinda what tilia is doing. They can force every account to go through the process and not just the ones cashing out. What you guys are angry about is only an issue when it's involving a REAL underage child!
Posted by: JustSaying | Sunday, August 18, 2019 at 06:40 AM
actually what LL should do is make Second Life for Adults only like it was years back we didn't have teens on here at all they had IMVU for a platform best way to clear all this shit up is simple either put Second Life back to being just for Adults or get rid of all the child avatars and no more pregnancies, but even doing that theirs no guarantee that pedis aren't gonna make there way into or onto Second Life either but sadly they opened the door to these's teens who pretty much ignored the rules about staying out of adult locations and this is on LL for not enforcing the rules that they made for the teens upon entry but as I said that's my look on this whole thing
Posted by: vamp | Sunday, August 18, 2019 at 05:11 PM
What most of you seem to forget is the way LL verifies age is rediculous. I know way to many peole who are adults lie about there age during age verification. I have run in to many real life children and teens with adult avies on secondlife. They are age verified. The age verification system is faulty. If it has recently changed I do not know because it has nt made me reverify my age. I have been playing SL for over 10 years. LL has ignored many reports. Lile one person said earlier she was teleported to an unknown sim and instantly banned. LL liles to trap innocent people and ban them for absolutely no reason. I like premium but since having it I get the exact same treatment by LL as if I was not a premium member. The moment I found out one person I was in a relationship on SL with was under 18 in RL, I cut all ties from that person and walked. I avoided any kind of relationship on SL for over a year after that. Since I know with out a doubt that underage people do get on SL and are age verified I do know there is a huge breech.
Wheather or not Pearlman is playing the race card or female card or whatever the fact still remains LL does have massive security issue with real underage people able to log in and be age verified. Some may be taking part in age or maybe they are just adult human avies pixel sexing adult human avies. The issue with that is one person is underage in Real Life where the other person is an adult.
Posted by: Deanna | Monday, August 19, 2019 at 10:06 AM
@Simple Lemon
To answer your questions:
1-YES
2-YES
3-YES
4-YES
5-YES
just like in RL intent is everything.
Posted by: TDGunner | Monday, August 19, 2019 at 10:39 AM
@Simply Lemon
To answer your questions:
1-NO
2-NO
3-NO
4-NO
5-NO
unlike in RL, intend in-game is virtual.
just like an actor on stage or in a novel
he/she kills a victim; but of course cannot be accused of evil intend.
He/she is playing!!!!! Beware of the fantasy-police!
Posted by: volran | Monday, August 19, 2019 at 12:25 PM
If you are excited by a pedo fantasy, you are a pedo. Period.
And pedo pictures, pedo drawings, pedo simulations in SL, are pedo.
Posted by: Pulsar | Monday, August 19, 2019 at 02:05 PM
@ Amelia
"All the white dudes don't care. Took a real woman to call them on it."
That is pretty insulting to all the 100's of woman who have worked at LL before and work there now. It is also fairly racist since you chose to single out white "dudes". It sounds like, from some of the comments posted, that some of those woman might even have had workplace issues with Ms. Pearlman.
Since Wanger has been around since like...forever!, maybe he can chime in but it my understanding that LL has always had a very diverse workplace that was supportive of all races and genders. I know that in her podcast, both Melinda Byerley and Phillip Rosedale both said one of the things they really enjoyed while at LL was the diversity of the workforce.
Posted by: Soda Sullivan | Wednesday, August 28, 2019 at 10:56 PM
Beth MacBain stfu please. You're always running your mouth on forums and here, and you come across as very uneducated and angry (for no reason).
Posted by: K | Monday, September 02, 2019 at 09:40 AM
Not to mention I had a stalker in sl that got lethally dangerous and stalked me for years, still does. I got the police involved and an investigator contacted linden lab and they wouldn’t help and the same guy continues to bother me. They need a better block system and a true name change If it is warranted.
Posted by: Girl | Sunday, September 22, 2019 at 05:40 PM
There is roleplaying being done that would be crimes anywhere in the world. When was the last time a man could kidnap and rape a woman and get by with it? These people will most likely meet up again to roleplay that scenario if they were any good at it. Even worse murder, torture, public hangings, cutting off heads, maiming being roleplayed. Items can be bought exclusively for that! I'd be very worried about what type of mindset people would have to even roleplay any of that. Then you have horse and dog sex and whatever other animals. These roleplay scenarios are done right out in the open even on sims that cater to that kind of content.
Then all hell breaks loose when an old man avatar is spotted with an underage appearing avatar, which you could bet the underage avatar is a male also as with most of the other scenarios as well. Much if not all roleplaying age difference is done behind closed doors.
Pedophilia in of itself is not a crime. The crime is acting on it. You might not like the fact that there are people out there in the Second Life community who are sexually attracted to underage appearing avatars. You don’t have to like it. They don’t prosecute people for what’s going on in their heads. As with the rape, murder, torture, bestiality, it's all mostly acted out in the view of other residents. So does acting out those tendencies make them all a crime? A big fat NO, but Grandpa and Sally IF seen will lose their accounts.
Not that I'm for or against roleplaying, it's biased. If they want to ban roleplaying RL crimes do it across the board.
Posted by: DGP | Tuesday, July 28, 2020 at 03:09 AM
Lindenlabs knows that there is an extensive ageplay community within Second Life. The Family Roleplay and SL adoption agency communities are the tips of the iceberg. There is nothing stopping someone from purchasing a child avatar and then giving it anatomically correct parts, taking it to a private parcel and doing whatever you want with it. Lindenlabs is aware of this and instead of working to police it, they will actively target people who call attention to it. Why? Because they have a pecuniary interest in protecting depraved individuals who will pay out the nose for an outlet for their fantasies. They are one of the few remaining pillars keeping this horrible game running 90s tech alive in the 2020s. They should and must be investigated by the authorities.
Posted by: Proteus Hand | Wednesday, December 28, 2022 at 07:28 PM
They absolutely know there are sims with beastiality and these playgrounds and family nude beaches, they are easy to just search and find. Plenty of groups and doesn't matter if you report them, they allow them.
But have someone in your house use an old avatar you haven't used in decades and they even mention something they did when they were underage and get reported, every single account in your house gets banned. I know, I had it happen. LL says that even "discussing acts that involve someone who is or was underage at the time -- whether in regards to a real life age or fake/roleplay age" By this "discussing acts that involve someone who was underage at the time" you can't even discuss with your best friend in SL about having sex back when you were in high school, even if you are 40 yrs old now.
Yet they knowingly allow all the stuff they allow and turn a blind eye. Even one of the Lindens themselves have a teen looking furry and im sure they engage in who knows what.
Posted by: Lyn | Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 10:36 AM