At the same time, providers will be urged to rate their pages by filling out an electronic questionnaire resulting in a "grade" for each site, on a scale ranging from zero, the most innocuous, to four for each category.
What was I saying about pressure to rate?
this is really horrible. I hope that no precedent of having internet providers involvement in ratings is *ever* established. this proposal reeks. separate ratings from content and delivery.
The system depends for its ratings on voluntary compliance by Internet providers.
ugggghghghghg. not my ideal use of PICS. I hope that people don't begin to believe that PICS is this system.
But there is no way to use the system to seek out pornography or violence on the web, officials insisted.
I don't know why that would be a problem.
"To content-providers, I would say, 'Rate your sites' To parents I would say, 'Set the levels for your children.' And to governments, I would say humbly, 'Think again before censoring the net,"' Stephen Balkam, executive director of the Recreational Software Advisory Council, told a news conference.
Note again the pressure for self-rating.
"content-providers" != internet providers. that former is OK. the latter is a horrible nightmare. please, please, please, I hope this system is not asking/demanding people who run hardware & communication services to get into the rating business. such a thing is atrocious and odious and exactly what should be avoided.
A strength of PICS is that "it allows as many countries as would like to set up a rating system," said Jim Miller, a research scientist who helped develop the system. Adhering to the system would still be up to individual households, however.
Whatever became of market-ratings? Admittedly, they may mean that each country will be encouraged to given an example system... but I still don't like the idea of government involvement.
the government becomes just another rating agency. I don't like it either. but as long as we emphasize, "the individual always has the ultimate decision", which fortunately this press release does, little can go awry, hopefully.