Governments in virtual worlds: Sweden to set up embassy in Second Life

With universities, retailers, and corporations, setting-up base in Linden Lab‘s Second Life it only makes sense that governments will follow. Think this is unlikely? Think again. Apparently, Sweden is to become the first country to establish diplomatic representation in the virtual reality world of Second Life.

Swedish Institute (SI) director Olle Waestberg has told AFP the following:

We are planning to establish a Swedish embassy in Second Life primarily as an information portal for Sweden…

News entity The Age, reports that while the embassy will not provide passports or visas, it will instruct visitors on how to obtain such documents in the real world. The virtual embassy will also act as a link to web-based information about Scandinavia. Waestberg notes that the virtual embassy in Second Life allows SI to inform people about Sweden in a convenient and cost-effective manner.

The Swedish institute is an agency of the Swedish foreign ministry. The agency’s main task is to inform the world about Sweden. Waestberg adds that the initiative to place virtual embassy in Second Life is fully backed by the ministry.

Given the current trend by terrorists to bomb foreign embassies, we now wonder if future embassies in SL will be be subject to malicious actions of the virtual kind.

Via The Age

With universities, retailers, and corporations, setting-up base in Linden Lab‘s Second Life it only makes sense that governments will follow. Think this is unlikely? Think again. Apparently, Sweden is to become the first country to establish diplomatic representation in the virtual reality world of Second Life.

Swedish Institute (SI) director Olle Waestberg has told AFP the following:

We are planning to establish a Swedish embassy in Second Life primarily as an information portal for Sweden…

News entity The Age, reports that while the embassy will not provide passports or visas, it will instruct visitors on how to obtain such documents in the real world. The virtual embassy will also act as a link to web-based information about Scandinavia. Waestberg notes that the virtual embassy in Second Life allows SI to inform people about Sweden in a convenient and cost-effective manner.

The Swedish institute is an agency of the Swedish foreign ministry. The agency’s main task is to inform the world about Sweden. Waestberg adds that the initiative to place virtual embassy in Second Life is fully backed by the ministry.

Given the current trend by terrorists to bomb foreign embassies, we now wonder if future embassies in SL will be be subject to malicious actions of the virtual kind.

Via The Age