On-line censorship has become all the rage it seems, with CompuServe Inc stepping up to the plate last week to announce that all of its corporate-owned Internet content will be rated by July 1. The move will significantly expand the company’s existing support for the PICS Platform for Internet Content Selection, and CompuServe also intends to sponsor the Recreation Software Advisory Council on the Internet content labeling advisory system. The Council is already licensed for use in widely-used Internet security and filtering packages such as CyberPatrol, SurfWatch and Internet Explorer 3.0. CompuServe’s access to the Advisory Council will be provided via the CyberPatrol software package. When content providers access the the Advisory Council site, they fill out a questionnaire covering the level, nature and intensity of the sex, nudity, violence, vulgarity or hate- motivated language found there. It is then rated on a 1 to 4 system and electronically tagged, making it easier for parents or employers to block access. CompuServe does not believe encouraging its third-party content providers to register will be a ‘hard sell’, although it admits that it has no power to force them to if they decide not to take part.
