This is Internet On The Air, I'm Todd Mundt. Separating the good stuff...from the bad.
Details in a moment.
Funding Credit: Internet On The Air is a production of the University of
Michigan School of Information and Michigan radio, made possible by a grant from the W.K.
Kellogg Foundation.
The Internet is full of information. But -- where do you draw the line?
Many people believe the Internet would be more useful if they could filter what they want
from what they don't. By adjusting the settings on their browser, for example, parents
could let their children see only sites that mom and dad consider appropriate. People
looking for medical advice could check out reliable sources only, and bypass the sites
that promote the latest fad. Bosses could make sure that employees use the Internet for
work...and not to play games.
Scientists have taken a step to make all this possible. Late last year, they adopted a
technical standard call the Platform for Internet Content Selection, or "PICS".
PICS defines a common language that browsers use to communicate with Web sites known as
rating bureaus. By subscribing to a rating bureau, an Internet user can decide which sites
view, and which ones to block.
Paul Resnick is a professor at the University of Michigan's School of Information. He
thinks that rating bureaus are one way to preserve the freedom of speech on the Internet
while protecting people from potentially harmful information. Those who control the
computer can block sites they personally find offensive, while at the same time allowing
others to continue to have access to those places on the Web. Resnick and his graduate
students have established a PICS application incubator, which provides tools and
directions to people interested in rating sites.
To learn more about PICS and to view the application incubator, visit our Web site at
www.iota.org. For Internet On The Air, I'm Todd Mundt.
