The clones are coming!

So right as Philip has announced it and it was already mentioned on the blog, LL has put out the first test implementation of the display name changing ability:
 
http://blogs.secondlife.com/community/features/blog/2010/08/31/display-n...

Now people seem not to be very happy about it and tend to point out that the 'back to basics' approach Philip has announced during his SLCC speech has apparently been done away with. That is almost natural to all internet service developments. People scream first and adopt later but I think that this case is one where lots of the voiced concerns have something to them. The issue of identity is already big on the internet and adding just another layer to it wont help in solving it. Especially when it is possible to give yourself the same name as someone else and frame them of anything one would desire. So far everything that could be sued for griefing has been used to griefing so it wont be different here. However the concerns go deeper and are connected right into what has been written on this blog long time ago already. That is, the problem of the AR system LL has introduced to deal with ToS violations and unruly residents. I mean, it is a valid concern, that the ARed name will in many cases be not the user name but the visible display name. Now experienced sim admins will not have any issue with that because they will look for the username but I don't really believe this will be the same for every resident who will see themselves faced with the problem of using the AR tools for the first time in their SL existence. It is something that has the potential to cause grief and the fact that 'Linden' as a name has been apparently, and rightfully, blocked from use is only showing, that the LLs are very aware of the possible issues. Just they don't seem to care about the same issues hitting the residents. Now a normal everyday 'SL is for fun' – kind of person wont really have issues with this, but I can understand why business and sim owners are worried. The only thing they have here that shows their credibility and proof of good intentions is their name. They, and other people in other venues like artist, developers or educators, are dependant on the name. It is their identity and it is directly tied to how those are found in this world and how they build up their reputation. This is not different for me as I too represent this group inworld and can't have anyone walking around making false accusations. I also have been in a position of being a admin in a RP sim and my name has been the contact for the players and the authority was tied directly to it as was the trust people put into me that I can solve their problems. But that means, that when I have said something in group chat then everyone knew instantly that this was the final word and everything else would be a rumour. Now if all we would see in the chat is the display name, then I can totally see people having fun spreading rumours in group chat since it would take a while for people to check the profile considering that when they see a certain name they assume that what this person says is true and backed up by admin authority. This is the same for almost any group and I can't really imagine a better griefing rumour tool then this.

So how to deal with it?

I guess it comes down to being more careful and always checking the profiles what will of course be impossible in busy sims and a nightmare for viewer 2 users who already have a problem with opening more then one profile at once. It will also become a nightmare for LL since, considering the recent reductions in service, the amount of false ARs is possibly going to rise:

http://blogs.secondlife.com/community/community/blog/2010/08/26/importan...

Less service, more possible problems and a system that does not seem to address the fears of the residents. LL is back to it's normal modus operandi and I think lost all the initial boost of confidence it has received when M went away. It is a shame that 'fun, easy and fast' almost instantly dissolved into 'bells and whistles and corporate spin'. It faster then I have anticipated actually and right now, I am sitting there and looking what is going to happen. I don't really have much confidence left in LL but they are still not at the point of braking everything up. It is more like watching the ship racing towards the cliffs while the crew tries to figure out what a rudder is for.

Anyway, I expect impersonating to become a problem. Most likely not as big as some people fear, but it will for sure make it easier for griefers to hide. While they had to expect to be ARed during their first attack now they might last for three or four until they run across someone who checks their user name. And they might even drag a few people with them who had the misfortune to have the same name. I have seen people mass ban people already after being warned about a certain individual. They really, and against my repeated pointing towards the insanity of it, banned all people with a similar sounding name with the explanation that they 'are just being careful'. That day three innocent people ended on a ban list and I really can't see how the display names, in the form they are being implemented, wont add to this problem. If those names also, as they currently are, going to be the names shown in the friendslist then chaos is guaranteed. Especially if two people change their name and IM others who might think that they are talking to a totally different person. There are people on the list who I am more open towards then to others. Some are contacts and some are friends and I don't want to develop the paranoia needed to check the profile each time I get a IM. So some sort of instant username visibility would be needed. On the other hand this might even bring back emerald as the prominent viewer of choice since it has a build in secure communication feature that works by asking a security question that can be set up to something only the right person would know. At least one of the last emerald betas had it and while I have thought it to be interesting but not really needed, I am now almost at the point of changing my mind to think that such features will become much more wide spread with people wanting to be sure that the person they are talking to is the right one without the need for checking the profiles.

This is rather insane when thinking about it but I admit, that it is too early to say something definite. LL has said that they are testing it and that they are listening to feedback, but considering their track record there is little reason to believe it. As in the fiasco around viewer 2 it rather seem like they will simply declare the beta as finished and put it out as soon as possible and wont bother with the problems until some future releases. In the meantime the residents will be left alone to fight their unwanted clones.

The one and only SL Rin Tae ... not a clone .. promise