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[FYI] AOL, EuroISPA, IBM and Microsoft Join Forces
- To: debate@fitug.de
- Subject: [FYI] AOL, EuroISPA, IBM and Microsoft Join Forces
- From: Horns@t-online.de (Axel H. Horns)
- Date: Mon, 17 May 1999 09:10:37 +0100
- Comment: This message comes from the debate mailing list.
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http://www.newsaktuell.de/4d.acgi$getstory?86043
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Internet Content Rating Association Formed To
Provide Global System For Protecting Children
And Free Speech On The Internet
London (ots) -
AOL, EuroISPA, IBM and Microsoft Join Forces
with Other Global
Organizations to Create and Manage International
Online Rating System
Today, Internet industry leaders joined
forces to create an
international Internet content rating system
that protects children and free speech on the
Web. Formed with the backing of some of the
world's best known Internet and communications
companies, the new global rating system will be
based on the established RSACi content rating
system. The system will be governed by a newly
formed association, the Internet Content Rating
Association (ICRA). The founding companies of
ICRA include AOL Europe, Bertelsmann Foundation,
British Telecommunications plc (BT), Cable &
Wireless, Demon Internet (UK), EuroISPA, IBM,
Internet Watch Foundation, Microsoft, Software &
Information Industry Association, and T-Online
Germany. To ensure the successful world-wide
deployment and acceptance of the new
international system, ICRA will accept
additional memberships from companies or
organisations willing to join in its efforts to
build and manage an internationally acceptable
online content rating system.
Built on the success of the Recreational
Software Advisory
Council's RSACi content rating system, the
rating mechanism that is already embedded in
Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape
Navigator, the ICRA system will be a voluntary
self-rating system that is both user and
provider friendly, and culturally non-specific
and objective.
To develop a system for content rating that
is culturally
acceptable for use in countries around the
world, ICRA will hold consultations with
children's advocacies, consumer groups,
universities and interested parties around the
globe. Once developed, the system will be
available to all Internet users as a free
service. All ICRA members are committed to the
establishment of an international rating system
and have dedicated a considerable amount of time
and resources to ensure that the public receives
a valuable set of tools to control the nature of
content that they and their families view on the
Internet.
"In forming ICRA, our goal is to provide
parents and teachers
around the world with a standardized, strong and
flexible system for protecting children from
Internet content they find inappropriate," said
Jens Waltermann of the Bertelsmann Foundation,
chairman of the board of ICRA. "It is not for us
or for governments to decide what is
inappropriate. Individual parents should make
that choice. We will ensure that the system
helps parents in a variety of different
cultures."
Andreas Schmidt, of AOL Europe, said, "ICRA
is a critical step in
self-regulation by the emerging global Internet
community. It shows that the Internet industry,
working closely with public interest groups, is
taking the initiative to provide parents,
teachers and other concerned citizens the tools
to protect their children and communities while
ensuring the essential openness and freedom of
the Internet."
"It is especially important for the industry
to play a leadership
role protecting children and free speech on the
Internet," said John Patrick, vice president,
Internet Technology, IBM. "The Internet offers
exciting new opportunities to society as a
whole. By working together globally, we can play
a vital role in making sure the Internet is a
safe environment, available to us all. "
"Microsoft's involvement in ICRA is an
expression of our
commitment to working with members of the
Internet industry to help users understand
online safety issues and have a positive
experience online", said John Frank, Director of
Legal and Corporate Affairs, Microsoft Europe,
Middle East and Africa. "This initiative is a
major step in an ongoing cooperative effort to
help make the Internet a great medium for all
users to discover and explore and we are
delighted at the opportunity to continue our
work in this area within this new association."
With the establishment of ICRA, the RSAC
Board has transferred its
assets (including the RSACi system) to the newly
constituted ICRA to help speed the group's
efforts. A number of the leading RSAC board
members will join the ICRA board of directors
and many of the existing RSAC staff, including
Stephen Balkam, its current President, will
become ICRA employees. ICRA anticipates having
the new rating system available for use within
the next twelve months.
About ICRA
ICRA is an international non-profit
organisation, incorporated in
the UK as a company limited by guarantee, with
charitable purposes. ICRA's mission is to
develop, implement and manage an internationally
acceptable voluntary self-rating system which
provides Internet users world wide with the
choice to limit access to content they consider
harmful, especially to children. ICRA has
received the RSAC assets including the RSACi
system that provides consumers with information
about the level of nudity, sex, language, and
violence in Web sites. To date, more than
100,000 Web sites have rated with the RSACi
system, including a great number of the top 100
sites which account for 80% of the web's
traffic.
ots Original Text Service: AOL Europe
Internet: http://www.newsaktuell.de
Contact:
AOL, Rachel O'Neill
Tel.: +44 (0) 171 594 4571, Fax: +44 (0) 171 594
4444, Email: RachONeill@aol.com
IBM
Trink Guarino
IBM Media Relations
Tel.: 914-766-1067 (USA)
Email: guarino@us.ibm.com
Microsoft
Microsoft EMEA Press Office
Tel.: + 44 181 242 4167
Email: emeapress@text100.co.uk
Zum Seitenbeginn
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