Web Rating Systems

RSACi (Recreational Software Advisory Council on the Internet)
Webmasters rate their own Web sites for violence, nudity, sex, and language on a five-point scale (0-4) devised by RSACi, then they embed the rating within the site code. (Supported only by IE, not Navigator.) Few sites rate themselves according to these standards.

SafeSurf
Another voluntary Web page rating system.

AdultCheck
Mandatory rating of all Web sites?

PICS
Platform for Internet Content Selection

NEW ONLINE RATING SYSTEM UNVEILED
The Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA) has released an Internet rating system that will allow users to filter out certain kinds of Web content. The system is voluntary and depends upon the participation of Web site operators, who are asked to rate their own content. The ratings do not work like movie ratings. The system asks specific questions about site content, including whether any nudity at a given site should be considered for artistic, educational, or medical purposes. "This is a contextual content [rating] that distinguishes pornography from Picassos," says Mary Lou Kenny, North American director for the ICRA. The Center for Democracy and Technology says it approves of the new rating system. (Newsbytes, 13 December 2000)