TeamPlayer
Yellow Belt
Movie-style age ratings could be heading to websites, although how this will actually work in practice isn't clear.
Bit it is certainly on the UK government's agenda, with Culture Secretary Andy Burnham claiming it was looking at a number of possible safeguards to guarantee 'child-friendly web access' - without giving any real detail or indeed, stating if this is going to be pushed through in the near future. And if you're a US reader laughing at this, you might like to know that the UK plans to negotiate with the US in order to create some international rules for all English language websites.
Blocking free speech? Not according to Mr Burnham: "It's not about banning or stopping people having that freedom of expression...it's simply about clearer signposting, more information, so people know where they're working." However. he did also mention that the government is also looking at "cheap low-cost legal recourse" for online defamation cases, which just might make a lot of website owners and bloggers think twice before typing.
His views are broadly supported by child protection charities, but are likely to receive a more guarded response from ISPs and hosting companies, which could well be asked to behave as policemen for any new ratings system. We expect this to run and run in 2009.
t3.com
Bit it is certainly on the UK government's agenda, with Culture Secretary Andy Burnham claiming it was looking at a number of possible safeguards to guarantee 'child-friendly web access' - without giving any real detail or indeed, stating if this is going to be pushed through in the near future. And if you're a US reader laughing at this, you might like to know that the UK plans to negotiate with the US in order to create some international rules for all English language websites.
Blocking free speech? Not according to Mr Burnham: "It's not about banning or stopping people having that freedom of expression...it's simply about clearer signposting, more information, so people know where they're working." However. he did also mention that the government is also looking at "cheap low-cost legal recourse" for online defamation cases, which just might make a lot of website owners and bloggers think twice before typing.
His views are broadly supported by child protection charities, but are likely to receive a more guarded response from ISPs and hosting companies, which could well be asked to behave as policemen for any new ratings system. We expect this to run and run in 2009.
t3.com
