House Subcommittee Explores Virtual Worlds, Simulcasts on Second Life

Yesterday's congressional visit to Second Life is chronicled by the Washington Post.

The Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, chaired by Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA), heard from executives of Linden Lab (publisher of Second Life), IBM and other firms. The meeting was simulcast within Second Life, a Congressional first, according to Markey (seen in SL avatar form at left). WaPo reporter Mike Musgrove writes:

A virtual depiction of the Rayburn House Office Building meeting room was projected on television screens on the wall, so that real-world attendees could take a look at the small virtual crowd that logged on for the event. Attendees logging in from Second Life, meanwhile, could watch the proceedings in a video screen projected on the wall of the virtual room.

The subcommittee had questions about the potential for money laundering and whether children were safe in online worlds. This being Second Life, of course, there was some silliness:

As the politicians and the witnesses discussed the potentials of the online virtual world, the online visitors logged on in Second Life chatted away on the screen in conversations that ranged from the topic at hand and beyond:

"I think senators are superdelegates but not all reps."
"I love flip4mac."
"They should really move the x and the c away from each other on the keyboard." (this following a warning that the video might freeze for "just a sex.")

Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) joked that Markey arranged the hearing only to find out how to level up in World of Warcraft. Markey had previously participated in a climate change conference via Second Life.

Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) fretted about the potential for child pornography and fraud in online games.

A video webcast of the hearing is available at the subcommittee site.

UPDATE: Liz Losh at Virtualpolitik offers her take on the subcommittee hearing and is troubled by some of the comments made by the congressional reps serving on the committee.