it doesn't seem right to take information given at close range

I'm finding something terribly amusing, that, all things considered fairly, probably isn't for any of the participants involved.

That someone is now on my watchlist of harmful people is due entirely to reports of her own actions over the course of several events, several incidents, and several months. One single slight didn't put her there. One single slight wouldn't put anyone there.

But I'm finding it amusing, the groundswell of support she seems to have. It intrigues me. Perhaps I'm being unfair to the individual in question, though I do highly doubt such.

We all have our partisan moments; this is mine. The sharing of personal information above and beyond the rules of the game. Disregard my friendship with the one attacked. Disregard that I haven't met the individual who spoke such more than once, formally, and once, informally. We don't share anything resembling a social circle, after all.

That is where I draw the line.

Once, many months ago, one I used to favor shared personal information that was not his to give out with a love of mine. Had this love not known, beforehand, the information so revealed...this would have staggered him. This is not information I share beyond a bare handful of friends. It is not something widely known. It is something private, personal, and--not in small measure--painful.

That this information was so revealed staggered me; stunned me; hurt me. I reformatted my profile to remove all reference to any friends I had in my picks, in case this someone was going down the list, and would reveal to all what I wanted revealed only to those of my choosing. I panicked, yes; but I felt it was my only recourse.

For that month, and one month following, this individual was very carefully watched, and very carefully dealt with, because he'd made my list of harmful people. Yes, that he made that list was predominantly based on this one incident, but there was also a pattern of behavior behind it, that largely contributed. It was not that single, solitary moment that placed him on the list. Not even him.

He's not on it now. It is possible to get off this list. It takes care, and sincerely meant apologies, and demonstration that such behavior has changed. That the likelihood is greater than average that such behavior would not recur.

It's possible for this individual to move from the list, too. Though I think it's quite unlikely, as she's still denying she was in the wrong. I suppose we simply must wait and see, and guard, and watch.

From the Terms of Service, which have slightly changed of late (section of 4.1.v.IV bolded by me):

CONDUCT BY USERS OF SECOND LIFE

4.1 You agree to abide by certain rules of conduct, including the Community Standards and other rules prohibiting illegal and other practices that Linden Lab deems harmful.

You agree to read and comply with the Community Standards posted on the Websites, (for users 18 years of age and older, at http://secondlife.com/corporate/cs.php; and for users of the Teen Area, at http://teen.secondlife.com/footer/cs

In addition to abiding at all times by the Community Standards, you agree that you shall not: (i) take any action or upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit Content that infringes or violates any third party rights; (ii) impersonate any person or entity without their consent, including, but not limited to, a Linden Lab employee, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity; (iii) take any action or upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit Content that violates any law or regulation; (iv) take any action or upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit Content as determined by Linden Lab at its sole discretion that is harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, causes tort, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable; (v) take any actions or upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit Content that contains any viruses, Trojan horses, worms, spyware, time bombs, cancelbots or other computer programming routines that are intended to damage, detrimentally interfere with, surreptitiously intercept or expropriate any system, data or personal information; (vi) take any action or upload, post, email or otherwise transmit any Content that would violate any right or duty under any law or under contractual or fiduciary relationships (such as inside information, proprietary and confidential information learned or disclosed as part of employment relationships or under nondisclosure agreements); (vii) upload, post, email or otherwise transmit any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, or promotional materials, that are in the nature of "junk mail," "spam," "chain letters," "pyramid schemes," or any other form of solicitation that Linden Lab considers in its sole discretion to be of such nature; (viii) interfere with or disrupt the Service or servers or networks connected to the Service, or disobey any requirements, procedures, policies or regulations of networks connected to the Service; (ix) attempt to gain access to any other user's Account or password; or (x) "stalk", abuse or attempt to abuse, or otherwise harass another user. Any violation by you of the terms of the foregoing sentence may result in immediate and permanent suspension or cancellation of your Account. You agree that Linden Lab may take whatever steps it deems necessary to abridge, or prevent behavior of any sort on the Service in its sole discretion, without notice to you.

Cumbersome, to be sure...but is it in any way unclear? I don't think so...

No, it doesn't seem right
To take information
Given at close range
For the gag
And the bind
And the ammunition round...

(Stanza taken from "Not About Love" by Fiona Apple.)