What About AFK Cloaking?

With the recent controversy about AFK ratting, and with the recent discussions about the Code's position on AFK mining, I suppose it was only natural that another kind of "AFKness" would become the subject of conversation: AFK cloaking.

As it happens, my Invincible Stabber is fit with a prototype cloaking device--the only module in its high-slots. Why put a cloaking device on a bumping ship? Its sole purpose is to enable AFK cloaking. Indeed, it is my custom to AFK cloak with some regularity. This rankled some miners in Kino, who saw it as hypocrisy on my part. The issue has occasionally been brought up in Kamio and Halaima, as well.

How to resolve this? Obviously, we begin with the assumption that I am not being hypocritical or violating the Code, because the Supreme Protector doesn't do those things. Now that we have our answer, we can go about nailing down the precise reasons for the answer.

First of all, we can note that nowhere in the Code does it say anything about AFK cloaking--or any other AFK activity other than AFK mining. Once again, this makes perfect sense. We would not, for example, threaten to bump someone who was AFK while docked in a station. Nor is it bot-aspirant behavior to be AFK while docked. Mining in highsec is the only situation in which being AFK is problematic.

Historically speaking, we also find that AFK cloaking is not a tool of bots. In point of fact, AFK cloaking is the bane of bots and other carebears. In nullsec, it is a common practice to shut down botting and carebear activities by remaining cloaked in their system with one or more ships. Cloaking is a vital tool because it counters the use of local as an all-powerful scanning system. Naturally, these carebears object to the use of AFK cloaking, because they want to carebear in absolute safety. Over the years, they have repeatedly demanded something be done about AFK cloaking. Luckily, CCP has not given into their demands (probably because it comes from nullsec, rather than highsec carebears).

During my years in nullsec, I spent extended periods--sometimes months at a time--behind enemy lines, with no station in which to dock. I suppose it has become natural for me to AFK cloak in a safespot rather than dock up, and I prefer it. This, too, is the sign of a True Warrior. I sleep under the stars, connected with nature, as one who goes barefoot.

And so it is that AFK cloaking by the Supreme Protector--even mere minutes after bumping someone for AFK mining--is a fully consistent, Code-compliant, even beneficial and honourable activity. Let us hear no more complaints about it.