Internet Content Rating Association’s Labeling Standard Powers Free Browser Filtering Tool
Washington, DC. – 12 July 2006
The Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA) and the Website Rating and Advisory Council (WRAAC) today announced that WRAAC will use ICRA’s labeling standards to support its ParentalControl Bar software, a free, effective browser filtering tool that enables parents to control the content their children view online. ICRA is a non-profit organization that exists to protect children from potentially objectionable material while preserving free speech on the Internet.. In addition to using ICRA’s labeling system, WRAAC is also making a generous donation to support ICRA’s mission. WRAAC joins other major Internet and communications companies in supporting one of the world’s leading self-regulatory efforts on the Web
“The importance of Internet safety cannot be underestimated,” said Stephen Balkam, CEO of ICRA. “We are delighted that WRAAC recognizes the need for reliable parental controls and is using ICRA’s labeling technology to support the ParentalControl Bar. Together, we can help make the Internet a safer place for children”
WRAAC supports ICRA’s long standing belief and founding principle that self-regulation leads to the best balance between the free flow of digital content, the protection of children from potentially harmful material and the free expression rights of content providers.
“By becoming an ICRA licensee, WRAAC has merged ICRA’s powerful, established labeling standard with our robust, free parental filtering software,” said Jeff Young, president of WRAAC. “We sought and selected ICRA’s system as our labeling system of choice, because of its neutral and objective standard. The result is a major step forward in empowering parents to be able to control the types of Internet content they deem suitable for the home.”
In May, WRAAC released version 4.0 of the ParentalControl Bar for use in conjunction with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. WRAAC plans to release versions of the software for use with Mozilla’s Firefox and Apple Computer’s Safari browsers beginning in August 2006. Although still in beta testing, more than 4,000 homes have downloaded and installed the ParentalControl Bar in the last month. To date, feedback from users has been positive. Additionally, several providers of adult content have provided links on their warning pages to facilitate downloading the new ParentalControl Bar software in addition to other filtering software programs currently in use.
“Now that the ICRA label standard and the WRAAC filtering system have come together, we intend to focus on encouraging the major computer and browser software companies to consider integrating this solution into computers before they reach the home,” added Young.
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About WRAAC:
The Website Rating and Advisory Council, Inc (WRAAC) is a not for profit organization dedicated to delivering free, effective solutions that allow parents and guardians to reliably control children’s online internet activity. The organization was formed in 2006 by a diverse team of experienced Internet and IT professionals. WRAAC has developed the & quot;ParentalControl Bar” software; a free and effective browser filtering tool, designed in accordance with the final recommendations of the 2000 COPA Commission Report. WRAAC’s fresh, pragmatic solution to solving the parental Internet filtering issue includes: promotion of Website self-labeling, a third-party labeling service that labels sites located throughout the world that have not self-labeled, and free Internet filtering software tools.