Sweden Opens Second Life Embassy

I thought I would beat Roger to the punch and announce the newest innovation in the Second Life world: the virtual embassy.

Sweden is opening an embassy in the internet fantasy world called Second Life – the first country to do so.

The project is being run by the Swedish Institute – a promotional body which works alongside the foreign ministry.

Institute director Olle Waestberg said the virtual embassy would reach many young people and provide information about Sweden.

Second Life has about three million users worldwide, who create and develop virtual characters – called “avatars”.

Several real-world companies have created virtual shops in Second Life.

The Swedish Institute says the embassy will not issue passports and visas, but it will inform users how to get them in the real world.

It will be interesting to see if internet security develops to the point that a Second Life embassy could issue passports and visas. Or maybe it already has and is awaiting a country brave enough to try it — although I owned an original Apple II when I was young, I’ve become hopelessly low-tech in my middle age and have no idea what internet security is like these days. Readers?