Getting Terminated – How It Happens

As we celebrate the first anniversary of the Real Time Police Blotter and Resident Review Panel, it a good time to review just how it works!

When a resident's misbehavior results in a two-week suspension, Linden Lab automatically initiates a Review for Ban. Our staff reviews the offender’s entire disciplinary history to see if there’s a pattern and if a permanent expulsion is in order. The Resident Review Panel is part of the review, giving the community a vital role in the process.

A group of 25 active Residents are chosen anonymously and at random. Their job is to review the case history and voice their opinion. Names and places are removed for privacy reasons, and the panel weighs-in based solely on the facts.

The Review Panel does not have the power to expel a resident, but they often help make a case for leniency. Ultimately, the decision to permanently eject a resident from Second Life belongs to Linden Lab. But the comments and opinions of the Review Panel is used to enhance the process and to help us question our assumptions about when and why resident should be removed from our community.

Which Offenders Get Banned?
Here are a couple examples from recent Permanent Ban Peer Reviews:

Case #1

Profile: Member since June 2005
Offenses:

• Early August 2005: they were warned not to assault other Residents.
• Mid-August 2005: seven-day suspension for assault with scripted objects.
• September 2005: three-day suspension for intolerant language, including racial slurs and swearing.
• December 2005: 14-day suspension for assaults with scripted objects, obscenity and aggression.

LL Recommendation: Because of this persistent pattern of abuse and violations of the Community Standards, Linden Lab recommends that this person and all of their accounts be permanently removed.
Panel Review:

• Resident A: I would have ejected and banned him instead of the 14-day suspension in December. Vote=Yes
• Resident B: If the resident’s actions were unintentional, that’s one thing...but repeat offenders should be expelled.  Vote=Yes
• Resident C: This resident has been given enough chances. Obviously the resident doesn't respect others and continues to break the rules in Second Life. Vote=Yes
• Resident D: Termination is like death sentence. Let us leave him a last chance. Vote=No

Case #2

Profile: Member since June 2005.
Grounds:

• November 2005: three-day suspension for aggravated assault on other Residents.
• Later That Same Day: seven-day suspension for aggravated assault on other Residents in a club.
• Late November: 14-day suspension for additional club bombings and assaults.

LL Recommendation: Because of this persistent pattern of accelerated and serious abuse and violations of the Community Standards, Linden Lab recommends that this person and all of their accounts be permanently removed.
Panel Review:

• Resident A: I am voting yes as it appears that this person has no intention of stopping the attacks. I am assuming that a 14-day suspension arises from a serious attack and since this person has had three chances now they should be removed. Vote=Yes
• Resident B: You know the rules when you become a member. Obviously this person only wants to cause havoc...remove them. Vote=Yes
• Resident C: This resident has made a consistent habit of unacceptable behavior, which should not be tolerated within Second Life. Vote=Yes

The Real-Time Police Blotter and Resident Review Panel are both intended to shed more light on the conflict management steps we take in Second Life without compromising our commitment to privacy or allowing one resident to wield power over another. With a year under our belt, we see that working together has been quite successful in moving chronic offenders off the grid.