Since Linden Labs has allowed anonymous users to use Second Life, it has been alleged there has been a spike in the amount of people using the service to trade child porn, act out sexual fantasies with adults posing as children with childlike avatars, and also to prey on children exploring Second Life.

Regrettably we now have the revelations about the so called “Age Player” investigation by the German authorities, linked to, if I can believe what I’ve been told the German media have revealed, the actual distribution of paedophile material in SL.

Both are unacceptable to me I’m afraid. The so called “Age Play” thing has always creeped me out - and no justifying arguments thanks, it just creeps me out, OK? Paedophiles using SL to distribute their material in SL? That is unacceptable anywhere, any time. There is no justification on God’s earth for that. Every picture, every frame of video represents the wanton selfish destruction of innocence.

And THIS is where the decision to remove any form of verification has led Second Life.

Second Life has turned into such a cesspool. It’s all about gambling and sex and if these allegations are true it’s now home to child predators. Parents need to keep their children away from it!

[Op/Ed: Philip Linden's Folly via Scobleizer]

[tags]sexual predators, sexual predator, child predator, child sexual abuse, child exploitation, child sexual exploitation, exploitation of children, sexual predator law, sex predator[/tags]