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Before you begin building your digital toolbox, you need to understand
who (or what kind of automated tool) is classifying Internet content
and what criteria is being used in the technology you have chosen
to use. Classifying content may be done by content providers,
third-party experts, parents, through surveys or votes, and by
automated tools.
- Content providers: ICRA and SafeSurf are examples of PICS
rating systems designed to be used by content providers.
- Third-party experts: Filtering companies use teams of information
specialists, parents, and teachers to assist in classifying
content.
- Local administrators: A parent, teacher, or other "administrator"
can decide what type of content should be accessible to children
under his or her supervision.
- Automated tools: Some companies have developed automated
tools to classify content as the user requests it.
Classification schemes are designed to identify content that is
"good for kids" and/or "bad for kids." It may be classified on the
basis of:
- age appropriateness
- specific characteristics or elements of the content
- who created the content
With the appearance of more and more Web sites every day, new content
must be classified so that software tools that utilize classification
information can stay up to date. Some products and services are
continuously updated and are easy for users to quickly update. Others
require users to manually download updates.
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