7/2 Update: In response to this announcement, we're answering questions from the community about Tilia in our forum.

7/10 Update: As mentioned in a follow-up blog post, we'll be discussing this announcement in more detail at our official Tilia Town Hall held in Second Life on Friday, July 12 at 1 p.m. (SLT/Pacific). For those who can't join us inworld, a video and transcript will be provided soon after the live event.

We’re making some important changes to Second Life that will help us comply with U.S. laws and regulations. To do this, Linden Lab formed a new subsidiary, Tilia, to offer certain financial services to the Second Life community. While Tilia might not be a name that is familiar to many in the Second Life community, it was created to efficiently handle the ever-growing and complex needs of our operations.

Beginning on August 1, 2019, Tilia will take over certain aspects of the Second Life service. Tilia enables Linden Lab to continue the Second Life service in its current form through enhanced regulatory compliance protocols. To achieve this, Tilia will assume responsibility for managing your USD denominated account, which will be referred to as your "Tilia Account." After August 1, Tilia will handle process credit requests and payments made from your Tilia Account.

What’s changing?

Effective August 1, in order to continue using Second Life you will have to agree to Tilia’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. A Tilia Account associated with your Second Life Account will automatically be created for you and you will not need a separate username or password to access your Tilia Account.

In order to stay in compliance with regulatory requirements, if you wish to process a credit, we will need certain personal information to verify your identity, including your name, address, date of birth, and social security number (or government-issued identification if you are not a U.S. Citizen). You may be required to provide additional information to complete the transaction. Tilia will securely store this information so that you should only need to provide it once.

Additionally, please note that customers under 18 years of age will not be able to process credit after August 1, 2019 until they reach the age of 18.

As always, Second Life remains free to access and enjoy! However, if your Tilia Account is inactive for a period of 12 months we will charge your Tilia Account a fee to the extent permitted by applicable law. If you have questions about the inactivity fee, please see Tilia’s Terms of Service.

Why am I required to provide personal information to Tilia and what will you do with it?

As registered money services businesses, Linden Lab and Tilia are required to comply with applicable U.S. laws and regulations. As part of our ongoing risk management process, we must obtain, verify, and record information about our customers for whom we offer financial-related services. We take your privacy and security seriously, so your personal information will continue to remain protected and will only be used for purposes that are outlined in Linden Lab’s and Tilia’s Privacy Policies. Please refer to the FAQ for more details regarding this information request.

Where can I find out more information about these changes?

We understand that there may be some questions and concerns about these new procedures, but these changes are required in order for Linden Lab to continue offering Second Life services without disruption to its economy. We relish and respect the countless contributions of Second Life Residents to the virtual world, so these changes will enable us to maintain a robust virtual economy for many years to come. For more information and context on these changes and how it may impact you, please see our FAQ.