The Problem with Bots

Those of us who have been in Second Life for any length of time most likely know what 'Bots' are. Linden Labs defines Bots as avatars that are controlled by a computer, and not by a human. I think most of us have seen these before: an avatar that may or may not have a complete profile, but they are always seen standing (or sitting) in the same spot, sometimes for days at a time. Typically, they will not answer if you say something to them. This is because they don't even know you're there. They are not being attended by a person at a keyboard. They are on 'auto pilot,' so to speak.

WHY would anyone want to do that, a new-to-SL person might ask? The answer is simple: TRAFFIC. A sim owner, typically one who owns a store to sell his goods in-world, generally and understandably wants to have as many people as possible visit his sim. One way people find out about places to visit in Second Life is through the Search function. Destinations are listed in order of traffic rating, with the highest numbers being first, or at the top.


TRAFFIC

Traffic is measured by the number of visitors in a given sim, and by how long they stay at that sim. If traffic numbers are low, Search will not show that particular sim in a favorable position, and people typically choose the top choices, so one way of getting to the top is by cheating. This can be done by placing bots in that sim, which are unattended avatars that stay logged in for extended periods of time. Bots like this can be seen at certain "airports" (or stores disguised as airports), for example. They are used at other places too, such as at clubs, but since this is an aviation blog, we'll just stick to the discussion of their use at airports.

Another way people find good places to go is by checking the map and looking for green dots. Unless actually shopping, most people prefer to go to places that appear to be inhabited rather than just any random empty sim. Having bots present in the sim creates the illusion that the place is busy, when in truth it may be quite dead. Once you arrive, however, you've been lured in, and you are only helping the owner further increase his traffic numbers. You get there, look around, and you cannot find any of those avatars that showed on the map. A closer look might reveal that they are up on a platform out of sight, or maybe even sitting underwater, and they never once move from that spot nor will they answer you if you speak to them. They wouldn't even notice if you bumped into them, because they are not really there. These are bots, and their use as such is a blatant violation of the LL TOS.



The avatar shown in the above photo has been sitting underwater like this for days. He doesn't answer chat or IMs, and he never moves from that position. Occasionally he will apparently get logged off, but he always comes back later in the same spot. Why would anyone spend their time in SL doing absolutely nothing? Well, it's a bot, but a cleverly disguised one, with a complete profile and everything. Not clever enough, though; he is obviously not being operated by a real person. He is fraudulently boosting traffic statistics. Either he is getting rewarded in one form or another, or he is just an alt of the owner. I suspect the latter. Oh, and YES, he has been reported.


POLICY

"Well, so what?" you ask. Here is the thing: it is most definitely against the LL Terms Of Service policies to use bots as a method to fraudulently boost traffic statistics. Here is a link to the Official LL Bot Policy. Please take a minute to read it. It is very enlightening. Notice that this policy specifically states that these rules apply to both Mainland estates as well as to Private estates. Penalties for violation of said policies can be quite harsh.

There are legitimate reasons for using bots too. One such use would be in a clothing store where a live model is being used to demonstrate clothing outfits. What qualifies these bots is the fact that they have applied for what is known as "Scripted Agent Status," which automatically causes them to NOT impact traffic numbers. That's right, these bots do not count as traffic statistics, and are not there for that purpose at all. Obviously, they are being used to model the clothes. The only exception here would be the use of an actual live model, an avatar who is controlled by an actual person sitting behind a keyboard. Odds are this type of model is getting paid for their time, as well, which brings us to another touchy subject: Camping.


CAMPING

Camping in SL is not nearly as common as it once was, but it does still exist, although its use is frowned upon by LL. No, I'm not talking about camping like with a tent and roasting marshmallows over a campfire. Camping, in this instance, generally means the act of remaining in one spot and not interacting with the rest of the world, often leaving their actual computer unattended, for the purpose of earning L$. They can use a special 'camping chair,' which gives a payout in L$ (usually at a very low rate, maybe L$1/hour), or they can work by special agreement, either being paid in L$ or with 'free' products (airplanes, clothing, anything). All they have to do is remain in the sim for long periods of time.

At one time, Linden Labs used to pay land owners a premium based on these traffic numbers, and camping chairs were often set up for the purpose of populating the sim. The money earned by the land owner far outweighed the money paid out, so it's easy to see why this arrangement would be so popular. It was also good for the n00b to be able to sit and gather a bit of spending money. That all changed though; on June 13, 2006 the LL payout system for high traffic areas was phased out. Linden Labs had always been strongly against this abuse of the traffic system, and they were finally forced to change the rules. The same traffic system is still in use today, however it is unclear as to how long this will continue, given the amount of abuse it is still subject to.



This avatar is different; at least she moves around from time to time. While not a true bot, she is more of a camping bot, since she seems to be controlled by someone who may be at work and occasionally checks on her.

She used to stand at the sim landing point, but in time realized that she was annoying people, so she moved to this new spot, where she always stands. Sometimes she will rez an aircraft to make it appear that she is actually doing something, but when auto-return deletes her plane, she is left standing there again, all by herself. She look like she is 'away' in this picture, and she is, technically. Away status takes a while before it kicks in, but she will rez a plane and then immediately toggle AFK. Yeah, it's a bot, of sorts. Did I report her? Nah. It's her loss if she has been convinced she should spend all her time standing here. Who knows, maybe she gets free planes. Or maybe she is just another shill's alt. Oh, and check out her fancy Mesh outfit... LOL


ABUSE

Abuse of the system is even easier now, with the advent of smart phone clients that allow anyone to log on to SL from a remote location, not tying up valuable computer resources of their own. Why is it bad, though? Well, first of all, it's cheating. Stealing, actually. They are stealing from Linden Labs with their fraudulent methods, and indirectly, they're stealing from YOU, because it will only serve to increase costs, which will be ultimately passed down to the consumer. It also increases client-side lag. Among the things that can increase client-side lag (meaning the lag in YOUR computer) are prim clutter, particles, highly-interactive games (yes, the combat games), and LARGE NUMBERS OF AVATARS. Add this to an already laggy region and Mesh Lag, and you can see why border crossings have become increasingly difficult in recent months.

Yes, I know; LL keeps 'fixing' things, but they are not totally to blame. Why allow selfish land owners to add to your problems though? They aren't doing it for you, they are doing it for themselves. They are taking from YOU and padding their own pockets. It's all at your own expense, whether money-wise or resource-wise. Bottom line, it's dishonest, pure and simple. Do you really want to do business with someone who has shown dishonest principles? I certainly don't.


FILE A REPORT

The right thing to do is to report the abuse any time you see it. That's what I do. FILE AN ABUSE REPORT, it's very easy to do. All you have to do is click the 'Help' tab and select 'Report Abuse.' Be sure to fill it out completely or they will not investigate. You aren't telling on a fellow avatar, you're preventing abuse that ultimately affects all of us. Think of it this way: if that land owner is trying to cheat LL, what do you think he would do to you, as a potential aircraft buyer?

Thanks for listening.

~Jamie~