Web Pages should be force to include content flags. Search engines could not index pages without a f

1
Web Pages should be force to include content
flags. Search engines could not index pages
without a flag

• Kevin James
• Tim Simmons
• Greg Patterson
• Jason Webster
• Geoffrey Rodgers

2
What is a Content Flag?

• Unlike current methods of content selection, ICRA
  and similar platforms requires web authors to
  submit sites to them to have their site
  registered and rated.
• Web searches can be limited to only sites that
  have been registered.

3
Internet Content Rating Association(ICRA)

• Non-profit organization trying to create an
  internationally acceptable rating system which
  can be adapted to different national, cultural,
  and individual needs.
• To label a site, go to ICRA website and fill out
  a questionnaire
• Label is created that can be pasted into
  webpages.
• Internet Explorer Content Advisor and Netscapes
  Netwatch can already read the ICRA labels.

4
Categories of concern

• Chat
• The nudity and sexual content on a site
• Language used on the site
• The violence depicted on a site
• Other such as drugs, gambling, and alcohol

5
Why author should label his/her site?

• The majority of operators of "adults only" sites
  are generally just as keen not to offend young
  children as the next person.
• Labeling their site sends a clear signal to
  governments that the World Wide Web is willing
  and able to self-regulate.
• Operators of sites designed specifically for
  children will want to label their sites as some
  search engines build their database of
  "child-friendly sites" by looking for ICRA labels.

6
Why Authors should label his/her sites(cont)?

• Commercial sites, with little or no objectionable
  material will want to label their site so as not
  to be blocked by default.
• When a parent sets up the filter for their child,
  they will be offered an option to allow or
  disallow access to "sites that have no rating."
• A site carrying an ICRA label is more likely to
  be perceived as trustworthy than one which is not
  labeled.

7
Platform for Internet Content Selection (PICS)

• ICRA has been built on platforms such as PICS
  which only use metatags and other labels as a
  mean of content selection.

8
Problems with current methods

• Keyword searching is a crude and inflexible
  approach that is likely to block sites that
  should not be blocked while letting adult sites
  pass through unblocked.
• Keyword searches cannot use contextual
  information.
• Keyword searches cannot interpret graphics

9
Problems with current methods(cont)

• There are several problems with filtering based
  on lists of sites to be blocked.
• Blocking lists also raise problems by withholding
  information from users
• Vendors protect lists of blocked sites so end
  users do not know which sites are blocked and
  why.

10
Companies that support PICS and ICRA

• AOL
• Bell Canada
• Microsoft
• Netscape
• Time Warner
• Progressive Networks
• CompuServe
• ATT

• Novell
• IBM
• British Telecom
• ONdigital
• Cable Wireless
• MCI
• Prodigy Serve
• Progressive Networks

11
Any Question