This is the US version of this press release. a UK version is also available.
Washington, DC, 30 November 2006. Today the Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA) stepped up its campaign to help make the Internet a safer place for children and families, with the launch of ICRAchecked, the world’s first independent validation service for Web sites that self-label with ICRA.
This unique service, which is underpinned by Solarsoft’s advanced SurfTM content management system, provides a professional, human check, which examines the accuracy of a Web site’s ICRA label against the content present on the site on a given review date. In addition, it offers Webmasters the first of a range of new services that include Label Assist, where ICRA reviews the site, then creates and hosts the label. This minimizes the work required by the Webmaster and also means that the site is automatically included in the ICRAchecked database
The ICRAchecked database will be made available to search engines that request it, giving them access to a verified list of labeled Web sites for the very first time. This will allow them to offer end-users extra information in their search results by indicating whether a site is correctly labeled, adding another layer of trust for those using the Internet.
This is beneficial to both Internet users, as it means that they can make a better informed choice about which sites they look at, and to Web site owners, because it has the potential to make their sites more visible in search results.
“We have the world’s number one self-labeling system with more than 200,000 sites already labeled with ICRA, but we wanted to take that a stage further,” Stephen Balkam, CEO at ICRA, said. “We still believe that the best people to label content are the ones who created it, but as the amount of content uploaded to the Internet increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to know what sites contain, even if they’re labeled. As a result, users are increasingly looking for assurances that sites are what they say they are before they access them – that’s what ICRAchecked gives them.”
Dave Miles, business development vice president at Solarsoft, added, “Self-labeling is critical, but we realize that labels are not always an accurate reflection of the content. That’s why we’ve worked closely with the ICRA team and provide our proven content management system to underpin ICRA PadTM, the bespoke multi-engine platform that allows ICRA to provide this new range of professional services.”
About Solarsoft
Solarsoft is a leading provider of technologies and solutions designed to make the Internet a safer place. SurfTM is the first of a completely new generation of personal browsers which in conjunction with a wider range of patented content management products, are set to redefine the way people use the Internet.