In an already charged atmosphere, this news about Beijing's police force devoting officers to 'patrolling' gateway websites for complaints of pornography and illegal activity just makes things seem that much more restrictive and unfriendly. It also brings to mind this past story, wherein Belgian police would patrol SL to prevent rape. But is this a good idea?Firstly, it's beyond the scope of this blog to render judgment on a foreign country's policies. Secondly, apparently this Chinese police force would work mostly on user reports, rather than actively tracking down malicious activities. But, as with the Belgian story, one wonders exactly how effective this sort of (I hate to say this) Cybercrime Watch might be. Obviously, SL's too large to be patrolled with any efficacy, so it would also have to rely on resident reportage. Take a step back, though, and consider if this is any different than GMs in World of Warcraft, or similar MMOs. Is this a necessary step? Will SL eventually need this, either imposed from without by LL, or by a community-approved volunteer force? Or should LL create tools for the average user to maintain the peace?
(Via chinadaily)
Linden Lab has produced 
