Virtual worlds and the 3D web: Australian policy debates in Second Life

Research indicators point to a 3D Web encompassing online virtual worlds in which users form communities, do business and create and sell virtual products. The current number of participants in such environments is estimated in the tens of millions. This new web environment brings with it an array of complex policy issues in the area of digital rights management, taxation, civil codes and real world jurisdiction. This paper addresses such issues in respect to Second Life, an open social on-line world with a user base consistently growing at one million per month. In Second Life, users access in-world tools which they use to create virtual goods, construct environments, stream multi-media events and innovate new services. Content creation extends to the adaptation and improvement of the platform itself. Underscoring these features is an IP arrangement where Second Life residents own their work and have the right to exploit and monetise them in both the real and virtual world. As a result, a thriving market economy has emerged, sparking new social and business contracts. Along with its positive attributes, Second Life has hosted an array of uncivil practices, including unauthorised use of content, hacking, cyber-stalking and harassment and ‘age-play’ involving virtual paedophilia. The anonymity afforded by avatars raises concerns about a range of illicit practices including money laundering, theft and black market enterprises. Real world institutions in industry, media, education and government show great interest in Second Life and increasingly are establishing a presence there. Big name corporations include IBM, ING, Sony and AOL. In 2007, Australia’s ABC and Telstra joined them. All are keen to explore and experiment with the new platform, but the grey areas surrounding regularity frameworks, accountability and misappropriation may well stymie progress. The paper offers a preliminary investigation into the extent to which uncivil and unregulated practices threaten the sustainability and growth and of what is widely described as the next generation of the Web.