Trouble in Second Paradise?

Very interesting goings on in the virtual world of Second Life. The proprietors, Linden Labs, changed registration models on June 6 from one that required a credit card validation step (and hence some tie to a real person) to one that does not, referred to as "validation-free". This has caused a certain amount of consternation among Second Life residents, particularly merchants, with regard to the potential for anonymous misbehavior and subsequent increase of abuse reports (AR's).
Though it may seem arcane, I think there will be plenty of lessons learned as Second Life transitions into a more anonymous realm as new residents join and established residents create alternative (alt) accounts and avatars.

To read about the issue, check out
http://secondlife.blogs.com/change/2006/06/
update_open_reg.html
and
http://secondlife.blogs.com/change/2006/06/
though_you_may_.html

To learn more about Second Life, check out the recent Business Week article:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/
06_18/b3982001.htm