IP: Computer Professionals Question Internet Filtering

[David Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

Computer Professionals Question Internet Filtering Agreement


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                                                        Duff Axsom
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PALO ALTO -- "Now that the Communications Decency Act has been
overturned, Internet ratings systems could use technical means to
accomplish what the CDA could not accomplish legally, " according to
Aki Namioka, President of the Computer Professionals for Social
Responsibility (CPSR).


Proposals introduced by industry leaders at yesterday's White
House Summit, would promote the user of content rating labels, which
would be used by browsers and other software to block sites with
objectionable content.


"Parents should be able to determine what their children see on the
Internet, " Namioka said.  "Unfortunately, the ratings proposals
would place onerous self-labeling requirements on information
providers, and may  effectively fragment the Internet."


These new proposals centered around greater use of PICS
ratings. PICS - the Platform for Internet Content Selection - provides
a protocol for exchange of  information rating information that can be
used by externally-defined ratings systems.


Yesterday's discussion at the White House stressed "voluntary
rating", using PICS-based ratings schemes. However, sites that
refuse to rate may fade into oblivion: several major Internet search
engines announced that they would encourage web site ratings.


Namioka said that promoting the use of ratings could cause
problems for web site providers:  "There's a fine line between
enccouraging providers to rate sites and penalizing those who decide
not to rate. Web sites that are unable or unwilling to be rated may
have a harder time getting seen."


CPSR is also concerned with the lack of choices available for those
who may choose to rate sites.  " The currently available PICS
systems - RSACi, SafeSurf, and NetShepherd - do not provide
information providers with a truly meaningful choice", said Harry
Hochheiser, member of CPSR's board of directors. "The ratings
categories and descriptions in these ratings systems may be too
narrow for some sites.  Confusion and mis-rating are almost
inevitable."


"The big problem with third-party services is they've got the
whole thing backward.  Instead of giving parents control, they're
taking it away," Hochheiser added. "CPSR would like to see tools
developed that rely upon parental diligence and attention,
rather than potentially coercive ratings systems," Hochheiser said.


Compliance with ratings systems may also be troublesome. Andy Oram,
moderator of CPSR's Cyber-Rights group, envisioned some troublesome
scenarios regarding enforcement: "What if a web site chooses an
inappropriate rating, or chooses not to rate? Some people have
proposed laws that would make it a crime to not rate a web site, or to
rate in inaccurately.  Such laws would seem to represent significant
restraints on free speech."


It's possible that no software solution will be able to effectively
address parental concerns without constraining the open exchange of
ideas on the Internet, ", Namioka concluded. "There's no substitute
for vigilant parental supervision".