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ICRAplus intercepts all incoming traffic from the internet and stores it in your computer’s memory. Each filter takes the information it needs from that memory, performs its analysis and then sends a response to the central unit. The response is encoded using the same standard used by ICRA’s self-labelling system.
The central unit therefore receives all its information in the form of labels, whether they be embedded in the web page itself or generated by the installed filters. Not all labels will be specifically ICRA labels, but they all use the same technical standard.
More technically, ICRAplus is installed as a transparent proxy server on the local machine and works with the W3C’s PICS standard. The output of each filter is trapped, converted into a PICS label and then forwarded according to the PICS label bureau specification. The configuration of the filtering platform is handled using the PICSRules specification.
Some “filters” are simple PICSRules files. These can contain any combination of rules for filtering based on labels found and block/allow lists. Such lists can be hashed, that is, encrypted, for security. Other filters use a variety of techniques to produce a result. By using the PICS label bureau standard, it is possible for filters to be run on the local machine or remotely.