Second Life Removing Snapshot-to-Email

In the Third Party Developers’ meeting Oz Linden mentioned that someone spotted a maintenance version viewer without the ability to send snapshots via email from Second Life. This omission of the feature Snapshot-to-Email from this RC version is deliberate. It will eventually be removed from all Linden and Third Party Viewers.

Blue Note

Blue Note by Marco Pagot, on Flickr

The way the system works, the images are sent TO whoever with the FROM address of the user-sender, at least when the Lab knows the sender’s address. But, the email is being sent from a Second Life server, so they are spoofing the FROM address. This ‘spoofing’ is a common practice of spammers and black-hat crackers. So, the SL servers are getting blocked by numerous ISP’s automated systems as spammers. That is affecting other email services the Lab uses to communicate with users.

To get email for other features to work better and get off the spammer lists, the Lab is looking at all the ways they send email and cleaning up their behavior. The effort is to reduce the appearance of SL as being a spammer. So, the Snapshot to Email is one of the red flag processes they must eliminate.

The Abuse Reports confirmation emails have recently changed for the spam reason. People are noticing they now get a confirmation of their Abuse Report, after years of that confirmation email notice not working. So, the changes are producing results.

The Lab is fixing emailing problems where they can and eliminating things like Snapshots by Email where they cannot provide a fix. (There is just no practical way for SL to send an email in your name from your email account. Thus the spoofing and problem.) In the case of Snapshots to Email, the feature will be removed server  side. So, all viewers will lose the feature, at least as it works now with the SL servers generating and sending the email.

The features for posting to social sites will remain and is working well.

The Snapshots to Email feature is getting VERY little use according to the Lindens. Since spam filters are extremely sensitive. So, even the small number of spoofed emails being sent were a problem. So, Snapshots to Email is going away. While Oz is sorry, it has to happen so other stuff will work.

4 thoughts on “Second Life Removing Snapshot-to-Email

    • Not would…. will be.

      Usnig a third party viewer you may be able to provide email servers to provide the service the SL servers are providing. But, then you’ll have the problem of being labeled a spammer for spoofing addresses.

  1. FWIW, this will also kill Snapzilla, which has been housing inworld Snaps since 2005. It would be nice to see them get a social upload.

    • Nothing stops us from downloading a snapeshot and emailing to Snapzilla. We just have a few more clicks.

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