|
Chapter 1: Website management
| 1.8 Platform for Internet
Content Selection (PICS) |
|
The W3C Platform for Internet Content Selection (PICS)
specification allows web managers to set a certification
rating for the content of their sites. This is very
similar to the ratings system that exists for films
shown in cinemas.
A filter configured to use the PICS ratings system
will read the classification contained within the data
and displays the page only if it meets the user-defined
specifications.
|
| Use each checklist to ensure
that your web pages comply with these guidelines |
| 1.8.1 Checklist
and summary: Core guidance |
|
Checklist
|
- Web managers should register their
website with at least the ICRA PICS service
- Metatags covering your whole site
should be placed in the head element of the default
page, eg, index.htm or default.htm
- Check that all web pages meet the
defined rating. Additional metatags can be placed
in the home page of directories to rate pages within
that directory, and where necessary can be applied
to individual web pages
|
|
Summary
|
The ICRA system
allows the author of a page or site, through the use of
a specific metatag, to identify content of the website
or document in each of the following categories:
- Nudity and Sexual material
- Violence
- Language
- Other topics (ie. tobacco or gambling
advertising)
- Chat
The rating system uses a neutral binary system. A particular
element within each category, such as, ‘mild expletives’
in the language section is either present or absent from
the website. |
There are a number of varieties of PICS ratings systems on the
Internet but the most commonly used is the ICRA system managed
by the Internet Content Rating Association. Microsoft Internet
Explorer and a growing number of filtering products support
this.
IMPORTANT
A rating can be chosen to cover the entire site, which
can be added to the site’s homepage. If desired, each
individual page can be separately certified. The usual
practice is to certify only the site as a whole. |
It would be expected that the majority of UK public sector
web information sites would have a none of the above rating
for each of the categories in the ICRA system.
There are two basic steps to using this system. First, the
content manager will obtain a rating label (a metatag) for
the site and will then add that to the source data of the
default page in the domain. This is usually called index.htm
and may be a frameset. Second, the user’s web browser or filter
can be configured to read that PICS certification.
Once turned on, the PICS rating and filtering system can be
a very strong tool in restricting the websites that are accessible.
If a page has a higher rating than that set by the owner of
the browser, the user is requested to insert a password. Only
the correct password will allow the page to be downloaded and
displayed.
To gain an ICRA label for your site you must visit the following
URI:
http://www.icra.org
- Once at the site select the ‘Label your
website here’ button.
- You now have the ability to certify a
single page, a directory or an entire website. Select the
option that is most suitable.
- You will now need to complete the Registration
document.
- On this page you will be asked to identify
the content of your website or the web page descriptors
in each of the ICRA categories. When this section is completed
click on the ‘Submit’ button at the bottom of the page.
- You will now need to confirm or change
any of the entered data in the ‘Input Verification’ page.
When completed click the ‘Input correct’ button.
- Finally the user must agree to the ICRA
Terms and Conditions document by selecting the button at
the bottom of the page.
- Once completed the ICRA rating will be
displayed with instructions on how to incorporate the metatag
into your chosen pages. The site includes extra support
information should it be needed and runs a free email technical
support service.
Key points about labelling:
- A filter will read and cache labels it
finds. It will not ‘search the site’ for labels. Therefore
if there are commonly used entry points to the site other
than the home page; these too should carry a copy of the
label.
- Pages always accessed through links from
within the site do not need to be labelled separately as
the cached label will be used.
- ICRA’s support pages include a flow diagram
of how labels are read and interpreted by filtering software.
| 1.8.4 Example of a PICS
metatag |
The following is an example of the standard PICS metatag generated
from the ICRA site. The URL in bold will need to reflect the
page in which the metatag is to be inserted, not the example
department URL as is illustrated here.
<meta http-equiv="PICS-Label" content='(PICS-1.1 "http://www.icra.org/ratingsv02.html"
l gen true for " http://www.departmentx.gov.uk " r
(cz 1 lz 1 nz 1 oz 1 vz 1) "http://www.rsac.org/ratingsv01.html"
l gen true for "http://www.departmentx.gov.uk" r (n
0 s 0 v 0 l 0))'>
In this example, the rating (defined in the parentheses)
is ‘none of the above’ in all categories - the website contains
neither sex nor violence, etc. The tag includes elements for
backward compatibility with ICRA’s forerunner - RSACi.
Once this rating has been achieved the website can display
the ICRA logo on the homepage to illustrate that the procedure
has been completed. This is optional and a range of different
colours is available.
More complex example to show flexibility
<meta http-equiv="PICS-Label" content='(PICS-1.1 "http://www.icra.org/ratingsv02.html"
l r (cz 1 lz 0 nz 1 oz 1 vz 1) "http://www.rsac.org/ratingsv01.html"
l r (n 0 s 0 v 0 l 0))'>
This metatag does not specify the page or site to which it
applies. Such a PICS label will be applied only to
the page it is on. Furthermore, note that the lz 1 term (which
is ICRA code for “none of the above” in the language category)
has been set to lz 0. This means that the label does not make
a positive declaration that there is no potentially offensive
material on this page. Such a label might be useful, for example,
for pages which carry quoted speech including swear words
but which most readers would not deem “offensive” in the context
given. You can make analogous changes in other categories.
Labels may be edited at will -- but watch the syntax! ICRA
does not need to be informed about every change made and has
other tools available that may be useful.
Go back to 1.7
Getting users to your website | Go next to 1.9
Domain name registration
Top of page
| Back
to Contents
|
