Internet Content Rating Association

Methods

ICRA created a content description system which allowed webmasters and digital content creators to self-label their content in categories such as nudity, sex, language (profanity etc.), violence, other potentially undesired material and online interactivity such as social networking and chat. There are context variables such as art, medicine and news—for example, a piece of content or site can be described as having depictions of nudes, but they are in an artistic context. A key point is that ICRA does not rate internet content, nor do it make value judgements about sites – the content providers self-label, and then parents and other concerned adults make a value judgement as to what is or is not appropriate content.

The labelling was done using a web-based questionnaire. The content creators checked which of the elements in the questionnaire are present or absent from their Web sites, and a small file is automatically generated using the RDF format, which is then linked to the content on one or more domains. Formerly, the system was based on PICS.

Users could then use content filtering software to censor various types of content. One such application, ICRAplus, was maintained by ICRA itself. ICRA also had a validator which tested all versions of ICRA and old RSACi labels.

The content descriptions were revised in 2005 to enable easier application to a wide range of digital content, not just websites.

The ICRA also intended to launch a service to verify the accuracy of ICRA labels and to provide this information to third-party tools and services, such as search engines.

Alternative labelling projects include Quatro, an EU-funded project which integrates content labels with quality and trust marks, and its successor, QuatroPlus.

Members

ICRA's corporate members included: AOL, British Telecom, Microsoft, T-Online, Verizon, Cable & Wireless, Demon Internet, IBM, Bertelsmann Foundation, Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), and Software and Information Industry Association. ICRA has been supported by the European Union's Internet Action Plan and various trusts and foundations.

Discontinuation

In 2007, Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) was created and subsumed the ICRA and its day-to-day operations. In October 2010, the ICRA labeling engine was discontinued by FOSI. Additionally, FOSI has withdrawn all support for the ICRA rating system and taken down all documentation for labeling websites with ICRA ratings.

The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection launched the launched the RTA ("Restricted to Adults") website labeling system in 2006,Reed, Theresa. {{cite web |url-status = dead

References

References

1. "About ICRA".
2. (December 2006). "TELMEX and ICRA Unite to Promote Internet Safety in Latin America".
3. "Protecting children online".
4. "ICRAfail – A Lesson For the Future".