Voluntary Mandatory Self-Ratings and Limits on Speech

[Declan McCullagh]

On Thu, Aug 16, 2001 at 10:05:45PM -0700, Tim May wrote:
> We don't need a proposal for "voluntary self-labelling"...if it's 
> voluntary, people can already do it. In fact, they already do. Of 
> course, what people are now doing is not at all what the proponents of 
> "voluntary self-labelling" apparently intend to be the voluntary labels.

In fact, we do have voluntary self-labeling already. Any responsible
webmaster will include meta tags, and adult sites generally want to
be found, so they'll lard up with XXX HOT SEXY ASIAN BABES etc.
On my own site, I use meta tags to denote nude photos, so properly-configured
browsers can stay away (http://www.mccullagh.org/theme/nudes-abstract.html).

That is what the market has come to decide on. There is demand for 
keywords, even these inexact ones. XML will speed this process.

Other systems, such as RSACi, have their birth in government pressure
and there is no evidence the market would move to adopt them in the
absence of government pressure. Born in sin and bereft of virtue,
they should be opposed.

-Declan