Attorney General proposes mandatory website labeling

[Mike AI]

http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6063554.html


I think this might make the most sense!

[CDSmith]

Unsupervised kids click right through our warning pages now, what makes them think kids will magically respect these new scary official warning labels?

I include the meta "classification" tag in all my websites, and have keywords "Adult, global" in all of them, for the SE's. Maybe they should make something like that mandatory, I think it would be more effective than new warning graphics.

And I can't help getting the slight yet distinct feeling that this is just the next round in Georgie's "Let's make the porn-mongers DANCE" strategy.

[Hammer]

"A mandatory rating system will "prevent people from inadvertently stumbling across pornographic images on the Internet," Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said at an event in Alexandria, Va.

Unfortunately they don't have a clue how the Internet works. How do they propose forcing The Hun and any other non-U.S. based or U.S. hosted website to add tags to their sites?

[TheEnforcer]

They realize this is a US only based system but it does give parents something that will help a bit. It also could be proposed as international treaties to other countries to get their cooperation down the road. Some might and others won't. Regardless, it would give the government and US based webmasters something with which to go on.

[TheEnforcer]

BTW- this is an approach I ahve talked abotu and advocated before on here. I didn't have the warning pages stuff or the keyword stuff but the labeling I certainly like though it could be done at the root domain only and still be efective rather than every page...

[Rolo]

Originally Posted by Hammer

Unfortunately they don't have a clue how the Internet works. How do they propose forcing The Hun and any other non-U.S. based or U.S. hosted website to add tags to their sites?

They will just ban everyone from the internet - that is the way to solve problems

[Grump]

When the first "wholesome family values" ISP decides to block sites from it's customers based on these labels then what?

First you brand your cattle, then you herd them to the slaughter.

[CDSmith]

I can see the need and the desire for a standard system that all webmasters must follow, if not all US webmasters. However, I'd like to see them propose something that would be a little more effective than "new government warning labels" on warning pages. Look how effective their warning labels have been on curtailing smoking.

Focusing on the way sites are keyworded is something they really should look at closer. I still see sites popping up in searches I do that have no relevance whatsoever to the search terms I used, and that goes for both adult and mainstream sites. There are notorious offenders on both sides.

And how about this?... Maybe they should propose something in the way of forcing parents to take more control and responsibility for what their innocent little darlings are doing while online? Just a thought.

Hell, even me being in Canada I'll still put up their warning labels if it comes to that, but it would be nice to see something a little more effective as a standard.

[peon]

Yeah CDSmith you said it my man, it's because you got those big ass eyes you see things clearly LOL!!!

[Grump]

CDSmith, your third paragraph makes the most sense of all. Sadly it involves people accepting responsibility and will never happen. It just makes too much sense I guess.

[girlyweb]

The only thing that should be mandatory is PARENTS watching their kids.
It's called PARENTING...