Virtual Speech Rights in Virtual Worlds

Privacy in Virtual Worlds

     The government can collect anything they want to, but the question remains, “What ought the government collect?” [6].  If the government does not respect the privacy of citizens, then there is no expectation of privacy [6].  If people can expect privacy in their own house, they can reasonably expect privacy in the virtual world, as if they were in their own homes [6]. What if we apply virtual property to the Fourth Amendment?

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
                    - "The Constitution of the United States," Amendment 4

     The Fourth Amendment seems to suggest that any unreasonable search would be a violation of our rights, even if it exists in a virtual world.

     The government is not the only ones who may invade citizen privacy.  Companies also tend gather private data from their users in order to figure out how to maximize profit or they can sell such information to other companies targeting a specific audience of a virtual world [6].  Even credit card numbers are sometimes stored when registering in a virtual world [6].  This will only be lawful if the users have made an “informed consent,” which in most cases does not happen [6].