Stop Non-Consensual Interactions in Second Life’s Role-Play and Other Interactive Systems

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To Linden Lab Management and the Second Life Compliance Team,

We, the undersigned residents of Second Life, are bringing forward a serious concern regarding certain “vampire” and other role-play systems that allow scripted interactions with residents without their explicit consent, even when those residents have never joined or agreed to participate in those systems.

These systems enable their users to “bite,” “feed on,” or otherwise use other avatars as resources or data points in private games, automatically recording or applying effects without the target’s permission. This practice represents not only a technical and experiential intrusion, but also a violation of consent and personal agency — values that are essential to both community integrity and digital ethics.

While we recognize and support Second Life’s longstanding tradition of creativity, freedom, and complex role-play, that freedom must never extend to actions that involve or use others without their informed consent.

It is important to stress that, in many of these systems, the affected residents may experience no visible harm — no animations, messages, or visual feedback to indicate what has happened. Yet, the mere act of being used without one’s knowledge or permission is, in itself, morally wrong. It reduces human participants to involuntary game objects, eroding respect and trust within the community.

Documented examples of such non-consensual behavior include (but are not limited to):

• Progeny: Vampire System — which explicitly allows vampires to bite or feed from non-participants without requiring permission or notification.

• Hunger (First Blood) Vampire System — which allows players to bite residents who have never registered with the system, often without their knowledge or ability to opt out.

By contrast, other systems — such as Bloodlines — already require the target’s explicit consent before any bite or interaction occurs. This demonstrates that respecting consent is both technically feasible and ethically responsible.

We therefore respectfully urge Linden Lab to:

1. Review and update the Terms of Service and Community Standards to prohibit any game or system from performing scripted interactions on residents who have not explicitly opted in.

2. Require all developers of interactive role-play systems to implement clear consent mechanisms before any scripted action — such as feeding, biting, tagging, or stat alteration — can affect another avatar.

3. Provide clear enforcement and reporting procedures for residents who are unwillingly targeted or affected by such systems.

4. Recognize and promote best practices among developers who already respect resident autonomy and consent (as demonstrated by systems like Bloodlines).

Second Life thrives on imagination and freedom — but true freedom can only exist where consent, respect, and moral responsibility are upheld. A creative world without boundaries still requires ethical ones, and no resident should ever be used as an unwitting component of someone else’s game.

We ask Linden Lab to take this matter seriously, review its current policies, and take the necessary steps to ensure that all residents can enjoy Second Life safely, autonomously, and with their personal agency intact.

Respectfully,
The Undersigned Residents of Second Life

Jax McGregor    Contact the author of the petition