Terrorists attack Second Life

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SLLA Attack on Reebok

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Chalet Linden

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UPDATE: Jeremy O Turner has written a great piece about Second Life and these attacks; read it here. Also, check out the comments we've been getting in (below) as they give very interesting perspectives on this story. Who knew virtual reality was so polarizing?

So far, two initial attacks have targeted a Reebok store and an American Apparel, which I would guess fall under the "strategically important" banner as opposed to the "agents of the state" banner...but I guess it depends on your perspective...

The attacks themselves are "white balls" which obscure areas of the screen--temporarily. So far Second Life isn't taking the attacks very seriously, but we'll see how that changes in the weeks to come. Here's a statement that Second Life sent us:

“The world of Second Life is host to wide variety of groups, with equally wide ranging opinions and perspectives. At Linden Lab we do the utmost to ensure the protection of creative expression, within certain bounds. Ultimately, instances in which residents engage in simulated violence will have to be taken on a case by case basis. We believe recent events involving SLLA protest lack malicious intent. Instances in which Residents feel harassed however, will be acted upon according to our terms of service.”

There is a bit of media suspicion that the SLLA are co-operating with administrators of Second Life in order to draw media attention to the virtual community. If that's the case, it's working. Would that then be "state-sponsored" virtual terrorism? However, a more likely explanation (in my opinion) is that it's a group of people just doing in online life what they wouldn't dare do in the real one: messing with the system.

Just yesterday I was talking to a friend who knows someone who designs virtual corporate conferences on Second Life. When the conference attempted to take a photograph within the world, a man with a turkey on his head ran back and forth, preventing the photo from being taken.

Then there is, of course, the Attack of the Giant Penises.

In short, I'm sure we'd all like to stick it to the man now and again, whether by "bomb," by turkey head or by giant penis, but many of us refrain...unless we're a virtual version of ourselves. As a coworker just pointed out, people generally use Second Life for one of three things: to meet with friends, to pretend to have sex, or to mess with each other. Or to make money, I suppose. Unless those darn penises get in the way.

Below is a video of the attack on the Reebok store from YouTube...it's kind of, well, boring. Sample YouTube comment: "Argh, what bomb? What the hell is the f*$#&n point whith this f*%^#n vido [sic]? ARgh i hate those f*&^%n nerds from seconds [sic] life."