Improve the Block Feature to Fully Prevent Harassment
tracked
Worldsin Resident
I would like Linden Lab to improve the blocking system in Second Life. Right now, blocking someone does not fully stop unwanted interactions, and I believe the block feature needs to provide stronger protection for residents.
When I block another resident, I want that person to be completely unable to interact with me. A block should mean that the blocked person cannot:
See my avatar or track where I am.
Click on my avatar.
Bump into my avatar or physically interfere with me.
Interact with my objects, attachments, or activities.
Continue trying to get my attention after I have made it clear I do not want contact.
Follow me around or continue targeting me.
The purpose of a block feature is to allow residents to remove unwanted people from their Second Life experience. If someone is blocked, that person should no longer be able to disrupt, annoy, or harass the person who blocked them.
Other virtual platforms have stronger blocking systems where blocked users are effectively removed from each other's experience. I believe Second Life should consider adding a similar system so residents have a reliable way to protect themselves from harassment.
A stronger block feature would help make Second Life a safer and more comfortable environment for everyone.
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Draco Seraphim
If the amount of people saying no to this has had to deal with half of the issues some of us have had to deal with, they would understand why we would want this. When a vile person can use a deeded object to still send you harassing messages and you repeatedly report them and ask the lindens for help and get nothing, you will see why its an issue. Some of the vile scum on secondlife go above and beyond to harass you and there should be a way to stop it other than just ignore it.
Coyote Enthusiast
Given this is tracked, I'll go ahead and say I'm opposed to the idea as well.
Blocks shouldn't affect another resident's experience. This can be exploited in various ways, such as cheating in combat regions, blocking moderators of regions, blocking people to say something bad about someone without their knowledge, etc.
I do think it would be a good idea expose blocklists to LSL so that LSL can check if someone is blocked, and throw away the interaction if so (EG: Through a function like llIsFriend, but instead llIsBlocked). But for all scenarios, it should be brought up with region moderators, use parcel / region access / moderation controls, or abuse reports.
Lucia Nightfire
Let's offer the options of, both, 1-way and 2-way blocking to the user doing the blocking. Let's also offer a means for scripts to know if a target agent is blocked by the object's owner, so apps will know if chat, dialog, perms requests, inventory offers, etc. will fail.
Saz Ninetails
Block them and derender them, job done. How do you know they are targetting you if they are blocked? Use the movelock feature then they can't push you. They will get bored and move on. What harm will they do by clicking on you
throws up shocked hands
how can they physically interfere with you? I have been here over 18 years and if I block someone and they go to bump me I just use movelock and job done. If they want to run around making an idiot of themselves that's a them issue. If they want to badmouth me in local then they will probably get removed by an admin of that place for disruptive behaviour anyway. Please name these other platforms.Lucifera Morningstar
I believe the block system could be improved but not necessarily to the degree you're suggesting. Preventing them from bumping or directly physically interfering with you I could see, as well as preventing them from interacting with your attachments. Also (and this has come up a lot in the past) prevent them from sending you money. That's a common tactic of people trying to get the attention of those who've blocked them: send L$1, then send L$1 again, and again, and again...
But beyond that, it starts becoming too much. Blocking someone controls your experience, but blocking their ability to see you starts controlling theirs, and that I feel is a step too far.
Zalificent Corvinus
This has come up several times, on the forum, and the result is always the same.
Some over entitled jerk demands the "right to control what other users see".
Then it's explained to them gently with only MEDICALLY needed profanity, exactly why they shouldn't have this power.
So, somebody says something you disagree with... You use your new Griefer-Block (tm) to stop them seeing or hearing you, then you proceed to make insulting and defamatory remarks, secure in the knowledge that your victim cannot see or hear the lies you are spreading about them, and thus cannot file an Abuse Report against you...
Your idea...
"Yeah Nah" as the Australians say...
"Let's not, and say we did"
Beatrice Voxel
SL is built on residents interacting with each other.
Everything in SL hinges upon that single mission.
This kind of block would cause immediate, far-reaching, and extremely pervasive harm to scripting, purchasing, land management, and other functions in SL.
Use the Abuse function, or talk to an estate or venue manager if one is online. We don't take kindly to harassers and can ban them from venues easily, we just need to know about them first.
ladiablesse100bc Resident
I'm also going to say No to this. The motivation is sound, but because of the way SL works, implementing it would break things badly.
Plus, as others have pointed out, it'd become a griefing tool in short order.
If you are being harassed in SL, file an Abuse Report. With most viewers this is a context (right click) choice, either their name in chat, or their avatar in world. Abuse reports can be filed with land SLURL's for location or group SLURL's for people doing Bad Things in group chat. Many viewers also allow you to attach a screenshot (taken when you select Abuse Report but you can refresh it before you submit the report).
AR's are the best way to get someone off the grid, as it is how the Lindens ban bad actors or disruptive objects. The more people AR a griefer, the faster they'll be gone.
NeonEDM Neon
ladiablesse100bc Resident This might be the ideal, but in no way reflects the reality of ARs and what small percentage of them seem to be actually acted upon. Except for egregious examples of ag3pl#y, I have rarely if ever seen the results of ARs effective. Take, as an example, pornography. Both personal and groups profiles are required by the ToS to be PG-rated. An image of skimpy swimwear or lingerie is acceptable, full on nudity, especially pornography, is not allowed. But there are
hundreds
of groups and accounts in SL with explicit RL porn in their images and after years of ARs none of them are gone. There are even examples of illegal porn (think dogs) still visible in group profiles. So a mere griefer showering someone in particles and bumping into your avatar every two seconds? Not even on the radar, unfortunately. I find it funny that people talk about AI with such high praise. If it's that good, let it sweep the group image database and fix this problem.Shakeno Tomsen
If I could, I would vote against this request -- this seems like something that is extremely easy to abuse in the wrong hands. I can't really add much to what's already been said. A lot of games depend on others being able to see you; if you disappear from their screen, you will be unable to play the game properly. Being able to moderate a place requires you being able to see everyone and what they are doing. In fact, this can be used for harassment by defamation, as the person you block won't be able to know what you are saying.
A lot of items depend on interaction this suggestion intends to stop. The first example that comes to mind is shopping objects. Blocking someone can already stop them from seeing your store, or receiving an item from them if you purchase from theirs. This suggestion will make objects that are dependent on interaction completely break.
As it has been already said, if you are being harassed grid wide, this won't stop anything, as alts can be made. If you want to stop interacting with someone in a sim, the current blocking feature already works wonders, and if they are actually stalking you, you should take it up to the land owner, or submit a report to LL about the situation.
Light Snacc
Most would circumvent this simply by having alt accounts which is a thing that Second Life users often do just to test, or have a space to get away from others. Of course this too can be used maliciously.
This would also break a lot of content as people can block to break scripted content in this case, which in itself could produce reportable issues. Games often rely on physics and tracking to even function, blocking simply breaks this. How do you know the person blocking in this case isn't being malicious/petty?
Blocking isn't perfect, but it is meant to be the first step you take when someone gives you grief and asking them to stop doesn't work, if the region is privately owned you should be able to contact an estate manager to take action on your behalf, and if they don't you can weigh up if being there is worthwhile for you and failing all of this there is the Abuse Report.
LL tracking this is absolutely absurd.
Ember Ember
Light Snacc Tracking is flagged by a bot, not an actual person.
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