Berlin
German prosecutors are trying to identify anonymous participants in the online computer game Second Life who having been having virtual sex with virtual children. Second Life is open only to players 18 and over, but some participants choose underage characters as their online personas. At least one German player is selling pornographic images of underage characters for use in the game. In the U.S., possession of simulated or virtual child porn is not a crime, but in Germany it is punishable by up to five years in prison. The San Francisco firm Linden Lab, which operates Second Life, said it would cooperate in the German investigation.
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