An exciting new development has been released in the seemingly never ending battle that so many creators endure – theft, ripping, texture stealing, content theft – it has many names.
[GEMINI Cybernetics] has released their latest development, the Client Detection System / CDS Ban Relay 1.9 / 1.
For creators, this device is a godsend – “The Gemini CDS detects all known viewers with copybot/griefing functionality without utilizing channel listeners, !quit spamming or other inferior techniques.”
[GEMINI Cybernetics] Client Detection System / CDS Ban Relay 1.9 / 1 month license is available here
For those SL users who have now, or at some time in the past, used an illicit viewer, the device is not such a good thing. At last! People will have to be responsible for the consequences of their own actions! Be aware that you may be banned if in the recent past you have been detected using one of the viewers – ‘griefer viewers’ that have been built explicitly for theft, even if you are not using it at the moment you are banned.
I have read many forums and chats today and seen many instances of ‘victims’ crying foul. It’s true, people can turn around from being a ripper and a thief, and be an upstanding SL citizen. Therefore, work is underway, as described by the Developer Skills Hak:
“We are currently discussing ways of giving people the ability to appeal a ban in case they have used one of the banned viewers “by accident” or however you want to call it.”
I’ve also seen popular rumours going the rounds, as rumours will, and developing a life of their own. To clarify some of these rumours, I spoke with the Emerald Dev team (those available at this ungodly hour) and have this statement…
STATEMENT FROM EMERALD
“While we have been assured by Skills that Emerald will not be identified or banned by the system she has designed and implemented, and we have done our own tests and verified these claims. It would be best however to make it clear that Skills is doing this as an independent venture, and the Emerald team has no involvement or administration capability. We are unable to guarantee that the system is entirely accurate or works as advertised, although we hope that it does as listed.
We would like to remind people that only downloads from the official website are official, and downloads from any other source is not guaranteed to be what it claims to be. Please use some common sense when downloading third party viewers, and put a little research into what you obtain, run, and log in on. Just because it says “Emerald” on the download link does not make it Emerald.
The Emerald team will not back up or help dispute any claims for the ban system. It is not our system, and we are not involved. Do not come to us.
With that said.. I personally really appreciate how clever this system is. As I have seen it, it has the potential right now to really deal some damage to the bastards that make everyone look like shit. It is nothing like the scam systems you may find to stop copybots that just play off people’s fears, and at the moment, is extremely effective. As expected, this method will eventually be discovered and these copybot viewers will have protections placed against it. But at the time being, they are caught with their pants down, most of them believe they are completely undetectable and will lie and defend it as much as they think they can. I haven’t come across any malicious viewers that are immune to this system yet, and I hope it can stay that way as long as possible, and do as much good as possible. I have a personal issue with malicious viewers that steal and use my code to harm others, and happily enjoy any pain that is caused to them.”
LordGregGreg Back, Emerald Developer
Arabella's Amblings 
11 comments
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February 21, 2010 at 1:08 pm
Ann
You should read this if you haven’t yet:
February 21, 2010 at 1:49 pm
arabellasteadham
Thank you for posting the SLU link, I have read the nonsense perpetrated and perpetuated on that forum, and my opinion of it has not changed – a rat’s nest of voracious carnivores, indignant and emo-hurt that they are not considered to be the idols we should worship for crumbs of wisdom. Not all of course, but certainly most 🙂
February 23, 2010 at 6:15 am
Ari Blackthorne
Boom!
Hahah…
I don’t know Skills personally. But I have had the opportunity to speak with her on occasion here and there and I respect that she is definitely a potent coder and developer. The moment this thing was released and in seeing that it is authored by Skills, I jumped on it immediately – a copy for each of all of my places.
The nay-sayers are all abuzz: “oh but it might ban innocents!” Ummm, I don’t think so. “It doesn’t work! LULZ!!!” Well, even only 80% effective is better than zero-percent effective the way I see it.
Then there’s the “It’s just fearware – doesn;t work at all!” – okay, then who ejected those people from my places and sent me the IMs claiming to be the CDS system?
I understand Linden Lab’s position on how it is not the gun that kills someone, it is the person pulling the trigger. And I agree with that. As for all the whiners in fear of this system proclaiming how it’s not fair and how I am restricting their ability to travel the grid in freedom and all that? Well, on *my* land *I* get to say who comes and goes, stays or gets banned.
And my only criteria for it is simply whether this CDS system allows you in or not. For those of you who say you are experimenting with the illicit viewer: go ahead. But do it on your own land – *not mine*.
February 23, 2010 at 3:17 pm
Lewis Moten (inSL: Dedric Mauriac)
Ari, from what I saw, it’s not just your land, but the sim you are on once someone is detected. In addition, once the person is reported, they are not banned from your land alone.
February 23, 2010 at 3:15 pm
Lewis Moten (inSL: Dedric Mauriac)
My concern here is how they choose what is illicit and what is not. I’ve worked with the libsl/openmetaverse library building my own bots and services at times and have used my own account in order to test them. The question is, are they assuming that all viewers except a select few are illicit? If so, then how are developers of new bots and clients going to be able to develop new software with such a system without being banned, when they have no copy-bot functionality in them? This is like saying that no one on the internet had better be using any browser other than IE, Firefox and Chrome – or face repercussions for doing so. The other thing that worries me is the quote they have on their product pages stating “find your names published, get abuse reported over and over, be laughed at by the whole grid” comes off as extremely unprofessional and worrying. Even if a filed appeal were to be accepted, the damage would already be done.
February 24, 2010 at 9:43 am
Ari Blackthorne
The true (and wonderful) power of this tool isn’t inasmuch as the ability to detect, eject and ban, it’s in the fear-factor. That it’s a land-mine that will salt-and-pepper the grid.
Those using the well-known illicit viewers don’t know where to step, “will that next TP get me? or the one after that?”
This, combined with an underage booter (which I personally choose to use, not saying everyone else should) makes for a potent combination as most illicit viewer users will attempt throw-away alt accounts and unlikely to make it the full ten days to be able to come onto my own land.
It’s genius in it’s simplicity (yes, I know the coding is super-complicated – but in “simplicity” I am referring to the concept itself.) As for those who question “which viewers” and “what if, but I…” and complain about “freedom of movement” across the grid my answer is simple: use one of the known-good, vetted viewers.
If you are unsure, then do what it takes to shore-up your own confidence in it. There are those who complain “but the viewers are legal, even if I use one and I am not a copybotter, I might get snagged and tagged.” To which I say “true, so stop using that viewer”.
The viewer is the lowest common denominator. It’s not the one honest person who uses it that I am looking to ban, it’s the 100 others who choose to use that viewer for unscrupulous means that I am aiming for. So, not no matter how honest these people might be, they may as well chock themselves up as “collateral damage” in my opinion.
February 25, 2010 at 7:21 pm
Client Detection System – CDS – UPDATE AND FAQ « Arabella's Amblings
[…] few days ago I wrote here about the new system developed by Gemini Cybernetics, enabling land owners, content creators, […]
February 28, 2010 at 11:24 pm
soraya
It’s ignorant to think that just because you have a client that copybots, that everyone is solely using it to copybot.. If people actually did their research on specific clients they would know there’s so much more to just that. I can say that I have a copybot client. I don’t copybot. But I have to admit I do like the griefer aspect of it. Where if someone is on my land causing God only knows what problems, I can easily crash them. Might not be valid for some but it comes in handy at times. I also like the fact that the client I have, goes into God mode, so if there is a land I’m visiting and I want their music stream I can take it. Another feature I love is how it improved the way I build. There is so much more to just copybotting. If linden labs offered all the same features with the exception of copying, I would run back in a heartbeat. Obviously there are reasons why they won’t offer a radar and all the other features. Devices like mysti tool wouldn’t really be relevant anymore, well at least the radar wouldn’t. That takes money from their pockets. Why doesn’t the regular linden client protect clothing/skin from being stolen? Why not offer more features to improve our SL experience?
I completely understand the worries content developers may have. But just because they aren’t in your store, doesn’t mean they won’t be able to rip your item. That’s foolish thinking. You are still vulnerable regardless.
I’ve been banned from a few stores already and I’m HIGHLY pissed. I shop all the time. And even on my regular client I’m being banned. I’m already being stamped as a criminal aka copybotter after being here so long. Now I can’t shop. I guess that saves me lindens and I don’t need to upload any lindens but that also means you don’t get them. There has to be a better way.
March 1, 2010 at 7:49 pm
arabellasteadham
Its ignorant to think that just because you have a client that copybots, you can expect people to believe any other justification you may have. Any other excuse you have other than for ripping, is just that – an excuse. There are a number of LEGITIMATE clients that will do all the things you want. Are you using neilife I wonder? I hope so, because it is my understanding that many of the creators using CDS who catch rippers using malicious software are reporting this to Lindenlab and accounts are being terminated. So, I really really hope you will be one of those to have their accounts terminated in the near future for use of malicious software. I hope every one of your alt accounts are banned as you make them. Oh, and has been explained in quite a number of places, it is the fact that you have used a malicious client at some time in the recent past that gets you pinged by CDS- it doesn’t matter if you switch to a legit viewer, you have been noticed for your illicit activities already.
I guess you probably do save your lindens by ripping off creators in world. Wow you must feel so proud. Of course you are stamped as a criminal. That’s because you are one.
March 2, 2010 at 1:13 am
Ari Blackthorne
Yes, soraya… What Arabella said.
But to add to this: It is IGNORANT to think just because you use Neillife (based on what you said, there’s no doubt which you are using as I *have* done my research) – you think all CDS users are targeting *you*
So I’ll be the nice guy and say “poor you, boo-hoo, the CDS is banning you even though you are a saint using the devils tools, but for saintliness and not evil designs.”
Bullshit. AHEM, sorry…
The problem is I can’t tell YOU apart from all the others who do use that viewer (and others like it). So, lowest common denominator is the viewer.
I say your “reasons” for using it are bullshit. It is based entirely off the Emerald code. Meaning all the legitimate features are already in Emerald. The only features in NLife not in Emerald are all for illegal ends.
Griefing others by caused crashing is against the ToS and CoS. Ripping someone else’s music stream is, umm, stealing and also against the ToS and CoS (what if it was my own licensed stream that *I* paid for?)
Obviously you aren’t using your SL name in this post. But I am happy to know you already are banned from my sims – whether you’ve been there or not, whether you are currently using NLife or not.
And I know it works because Neil5050 is just a script-kiddy who thinks he has CDS figured out. I love how he keeps saying “Don;t worry, fix coming soon. I say go for it. I love the once-banned-always banned.
Hell, since the update by “captures” have shot-up. So even as griefers and script-kiddies like Neil try so hard to figure a way to defeat the CDS, the CDS also is constantly being developed.
Finally, the other side of this war has a nuke to fight back with and it has people like you pissing their pants. You’re pissed? Good. Too bad you aren’t pissed enough.
Good riddance.
May 18, 2010 at 9:00 pm
ScrapperDaddy
Ah, Ari, Ari, Ari. You have to know this won’t actually fix anything. You quote 80%, but the fact is the big time copiers, the ones that you really need to worry about, don’t do the copying on your land and don’t visit your store using the ripper client. They don’t need to and they are smarter than to expose themselves that way.
At best, your nuke will take out the few experimenters, the sullied fringe of the regular user base. I suppose that’s a positive in some lights, but its hardly a cure nor is it even going to marginally address the copying issues.
See, the big problem is you chose to build a business in a marketplace that simply cannot be protected. Perhaps you got started out as a hobby, something to experiment with and have fun putting shapes together and texturing them. Or perhaps you swallowed the line that the Lindens told you that copying could be prevented and that your content, your creations, could be protected and therefore safely marketed. Either way, you were mislead.
So even with the fact that CDS relies on ‘tells’ – little anomalies in behavior that identify the clients in use and that if you take those tells away, and it’s blind, it simply cannot see into private land where the real copying takes place.