ICRA日记

For the Safe Internet, Self Regulation, Seoul
Phil Archer will be making a presentation on the subject of “Filtering and the Internet – how does it work?” The conference is organised and hosted by Korea Internet Corporations Association.

• Conference website (Korean)

GBDe Conference, Kuala Lumpur
ICRA’s CEO, Stephen Balkam will be a panellist at this invitation-only gathering of CEOs of the telecommunications industry.

ICRA has become an affiliate member of the Word Wide Web Cosortium (W3C) and is now able to join the effort to lead the web to its full potential for all users, especially children. W3C is the body that works with industry to recommend standards for the internet, HTML & XML being the best-known examples. ICRA’s particular interests are in the development of the “Semantic Web” and its underlying technologies such as RDF.

W3C Workshop: Metadata for Content Adaptation, Dublin
Phil Archer took part in this workshop and presented the work of the Labelling Working Group as ICRA prepares to move fron PICS to RDF-based labels. Content Adaptation usually means making the same content available for users of different devices, such as desktop PCs and mobile phones; and with different preferences or abilities (so called accessibility). ICRA’s position is content adaptation should also take into account the user’s – or user’s parents’ – preferences for types of content.

• Workshop details
• ICRA position paper
• Presentation

8th Transatlantic Dialogue
Internet, Standards of Content and the Protection of Minors. Stephen Balkam, ICRA’s CEO spoke at this international gathering in Berlin organized by the Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia (LfM). This gathering updated interested parties on developments since the issues were debated at the 5th meeting in 2003.

Two new working groups launched
ICRA has launched two new working groups to review key aspects of its work.

The labelling working group will be investigating alternative methods for labelling. The present PICS-based system can sometimes present logistical and technical hurdles. A more flexible system, probably based on RDF, is being sought.

In parallel, ICRA’s descriptive vocabulary, often referred to as “the ICRA questionnaire,” is under review. ICRA’s principles of creating a cross cultural system that is as objective as possible remains a foundation stone. However, the review will consider media types other than websites delivered to desktops.

Comments are invited for both working groups

• Labelling working group details
• Vocabulary review group

WWW2004 Workshop on Content Labelling – Technical and Socio-Cultural Challenges and Solutions
ICRA staff took part in this workshop at WWW2004. ICRA is preparing to make its labelling system available using RDF/XML as an alternative to PICS. Others, notably the W3C and ICRA members IA Japan, are carrying out closely related work with particular reference to mobile technologies.

• WWW2004 website
• Workshop information
• ICRA’s paper