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DENVER/RAYBURN 2123 IN SECOND LIFE, Apr 2 (OneWorld) - U.S. lawmakers held the first-ever hearing simulcast in a 3D virtual world Tuesday, probing experts about the opportunities and dangers posed by new online communities.

© Rik Panganiban / Rik RielNoting that millions of Americans will soon inhabit virtual worlds for part of their day for purposes of communications, business, education, health care, or cultural interest, Representative Edward Markey (D-MA) said he called the hearing to help lawmakers learn about these online spaces, which simulate real-world venues.

As virtual worlds evolve and grow in use, Markey said, policy makers will have to confront real-life issues affecting the Americans who frequent them, including consumer protection, personal privacy, online gambling, and child protection.

"However, online virtual worlds...are, at their best, vehicles for understanding across borders and for building communities," Markey added, eliciting applause and praise from the avatars gathered in the virtual hearing room.

Markey should know. He is one of the first members of Congress to have his own avatar, and he gave one of the most important addresses ever made in a virtual world when his avatar spoke to a major UN conference in December, attacking the Bush administration's policy on climate change.

"Online virtual worlds...are, at their best, vehicles for understanding across borders and for building communities." - Rep. Edward Markey

Avatars are animated representations of people online that are controlled via computer keyboard and mouse. They can walk, talk, sit, stand, gesture, fly, and otherwise act just as real human beings -- except for the added capacity for flight.

Several members of the House of Representatives Telecommunications & the Internet Subcommittee echoed Markey's positive comments about virtual worlds, noting their potential to open up dialogues -- both nationally and internationally -- and connect people to educational opportunities, cultural events, and other experiences they otherwise would not have access to.

The lawmakers also raised concerns, however, about potential criminal uses for the emerging technology, dwelling particularly on child safety issues as well as financial malfeasance and even terrorist recruitment.

"We need to stay vigilant against online threats," said Markey spokesperson Jessica Schafer after the hearing when asked if Markey was satisfied about the government's efforts to protect Americans in virtual worlds.

© Rik Panganiban / Rik RielPhilip Rosedale, CEO of the company that runs the largest non-video-game virtual world, Second Life, assured the lawmakers that his company is taking steps to monitor economic activity in their virtual space and noted that the community is by and large tight-knit, responsive, and "aggressively self-policing." The electronic trail left by users' actions in Second Life, Rosedale said, would make it even more difficult for would-be criminals or terrorists to use the platform for mischievous purposes.

Some lawmakers and witnesses also raised the issue of broadband connectivity, emphasizing that the U.S. government could play a stronger role in expanding the availability of new technologies to those currently without access.

"Ensuring open platforms and greater access to high-speed broadband will help entrepreneurs, educators, and other pioneers who are finding new ways to use Second Life each day," said Schafer.

Second Life was launched in 2003 by the California-based company Linden Lab and today boasts more than 6 million unique users, 1 million of whom have used the interactive platform in the past 60 days.

The platform's users, or "residents," build their own business, education, and community spaces, form friendships and commercial relationships, take classes, learn about real-world issues through videos and simulations, and even transact business using a currency -- the Linden Dollar -- that has real-world value.

"Virtual worlds such as Second Life have forever revolutionized the way people and organizations connect, learn, and create -- with the element of fun." Susan Tenby (Glitteractica Cookie), TechSoup.org

Dozens of universities, including the University of Edinburgh (Scotland), Ohio University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have set up campuses in Second Life. Many use the platform to offer new ways of learning to their traditional students and extend educational opportunities to others who would otherwise not have access to their faculty and resources.

IBM says it uses the platform to conduct low-cost simulations to train employees and impressively demonstrate new designs and products to clients.

The American Cancer Society is among those nonprofit groups that have raised large sums of money via Second Life events, generating $115,000 in donations during its 2007 virtual "Relay for Life" event. Nearly 1,700 global participants donated money and walked on a virtual track built to simulate the popular real-world run-for-a-cause events.

Many nonprofits also use the virtual space to educate people about their cause. The nonprofit technology support group, TechSoup.org, has built virtual demonstration spaces for scores of nonprofit organizations on its two Second Life islands. On the "Nonprofit Commons" islands, groups like America's Second Harvest, the Boomer Esiason Foundation, and the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America present photo galleries and background information about their work.

Many have also found Second Life to be fertile ground for recruiting volunteers and organizing real-world activism.

"Virtual worlds such as Second Life have forever revolutionized the way people and organizations connect, learn, and create -- with the element of fun," said TechSoup's Susan Tenby -- whose avatar's name is Glitteractica Cookie -- testifying at Tuesday's hearings. "Identity exploration in the medium...allows people to empathize with communities that are different from their own."

© Rik Panganiban / Rik Riel"Second Life makes it easy to bring people together across the globe -- [and at] no cost to the user -- to discuss issues such as climate change, human rights abuse, [and] disability," Tenby added, noting the speech Rep. Markey gave via avatar in December, during which he spoke from Washington to the UN climate change conference in Indonesia and then took questions from across the globe.

Attendees in the virtual hearing room Tuesday were sitting at computers in at least four U.S. time zones (Massachusetts; Washington, DC; Colorado; California; and Hawaii) and the United Kingdom, according to an informal survey of the room taken before the hearing began.

Markey's avatar presided over the virtual hearing room, but the dozens of invitees gathered before him were only passive participants in the event; all speech making and testifying was confined to the real-world venue.

Markey's staff said they would like to simulcast more events into the virtual hearing room, though there was no word on whether witnesses would be able to speak through their avatars -- under oath or otherwise -- any time soon.

* Jeffrey Allen's avatar's name is JeffreyOneWorld Runningbear. He attended the hearing virtually.

OneWorld TV: 'Virtual Bali' Opens Window on UN Climate Change Conference

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