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Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA) was an international non-profit organization with offices in the United States and the United Kingdom. In October 2010, the ICRA rating system, and the organization, was discontinued.

Its mission was to help users find the content they want, to trust what they find and to filter out what they do not want for themselves or for their children. ICRA also acted as a forum through which both political and technical infrastructure are defined to help shape the way that the World Wide Web and content distribution channels work.^[1]

Methods

ICRA created a content description system which allowed webmasters and digital content creators to self-label their content in categories such as nudity, sex, language (profanity etc.), violence, other potentially undesired material and online interactivity such as social networking and chat. There are context variables such as art, medicine and news—for example, a piece of content or site can be described as having depictions of nudes, but they are in an artistic context. A key point is that ICRA does not rate internet content, nor do it make value judgements about sites – the content providers self-label, and then parents and other concerned adults make a value judgement as to what is or is not appropriate content.

The labelling was done using a web-based questionnaire. The content creators checked which of the elements in the questionnaire are present or absent from their Web sites, and a small file is automatically generated using the RDF format, which is then linked to the content on one or more domains. Formerly, the system was based on PICS.

Users could then use content filtering software to censor various types of content. One such application, ICRAplus, was maintained by ICRA itself. ICRA also had a validator which tested all versions of ICRA and old RSACi labels.

The content descriptions were revised in 2005 to enable easier application to a wide range of digital content, not just websites.

The ICRA also intended to launch a service to verify the accuracy of ICRA labels and to provide this information to third-party tools and services, such as search engines.

Alternative labelling projects include Quatro, an EU-funded project which integrates content labels with quality and trust marks, and its successor, QuatroPlus.

Members

ICRA's corporate members included: AOL, British Telecom, Microsoft, T-Online, Verizon, Cable & Wireless, Demon Internet, IBM, Bertelsmann Foundation, Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), and Software and Information Industry Association.^[2]^[3] ICRA has been supported by the European Union's Internet Action Plan and various trusts and foundations.^[3]

Discontinuation

In 2007, Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) was created and subsumed the ICRA and its day-to-day operations. In October 2010, the ICRA labeling engine was discontinued by FOSI. Additionally, FOSI has withdrawn all support for the ICRA rating system and taken down all documentation for labeling websites with ICRA ratings.^[1] The reason is that the ICRA label failed to gain widespread acceptance.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b "About ICRA". Archived from the original on 2007-07-24. Retrieved 2007-07-23.
^ "TELMEX and ICRA Unite to Promote Internet Safety in Latin America" (PDF). TELMEX. December 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 19, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Protecting children online" (PDF). PDF. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
^ "ICRAfail – A Lesson For the Future" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2012-06-09.

External links

[AboutICRA-1] "About ICRA". Archived from the original on 2007-07-24. Retrieved 2007-07-23.

[2] "TELMEX and ICRA Unite to Promote Internet Safety in Latin America" (PDF). TELMEX. December 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 19, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2022.

[PDF-3] "Protecting children online" (PDF). PDF. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2022.

[4] "ICRAfail – A Lesson For the Future" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2012-06-09.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{refimprove|date=March 2008}}
-{{Multiple issues|unreferenced=March 2008|globalize=February 2010|cleanup=March 2008}}
-'''Internet Content Rating Association''' ('''ICRA''') was an international [[non-profit organization]] with offices in the [[United States]] and the [[United Kingdom]].  In October 2010, the ICRA rating system, and the organization, was permanently discontinued.
+'''Internet Content Rating Association''' ('''ICRA''') was an international [[non-profit organization]] with offices in the [[United States]] and the [[United Kingdom]]. In October 2010, the ICRA rating system, and the organization, was discontinued.
-Its mission was to help users find the content they want, to trust what they find and to filter out what they do not want for themselves or for their children. ICRA also acted as a forum through which both policy and technical infrastructure are defined to help shape the way that the [[World Wide Web]] and [[content distribution]] channels work.<ref>[http://www.fosi.org/icra FOSI | About ICRA]</ref>
+Its mission was to help users find the content they want, to trust what they find and to filter out what they do not want for themselves or for their children. ICRA also acted as a forum through which both political and technical infrastructure are defined to help shape the way that the [[World Wide Web]] and [[content distribution]] channels work.<ref name=AboutICRA>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fosi.org/icra |title=About ICRA |access-date=2007-07-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070724131019/http://www.fosi.org/icra/ |archive-date=2007-07-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 ==Methods==
-ICRA created a content description system which allowed webmasters and digital content creators to self-label their content in categories such as [[nudity]], [[sex]], [[language]] (vulgar terms etc.), [[violence]], other potentially undesired material and online interactivity such as social networking and chat. There are context variables such as [[art]], [[medicine]] and [[news]]&mdash;for example, a piece of content or site can be described as having depictions of nudes, but they are in an artistic context. A key point is that ICRA does not rate internet content, nor do they make value judgements about sites &ndash; the content providers self-label, and then parents and other concerned adults make a decision as to what is or is not appropriate for themselves or their children.
+ICRA created a [[Content rating|content description system]] which allowed webmasters and digital content creators to self-label their content in categories such as [[nudity]], [[sex]], [[language]] (profanity etc.), [[violence]], other potentially undesired material and online interactivity such as social networking and chat. There are context variables such as [[art]], [[medicine]] and [[news]]&mdash;for example, a piece of content or site can be described as having depictions of nudes, but they are in an artistic context. A key point is that ICRA does not rate internet content, nor do it make value judgements about sites &ndash; the content providers self-label, and then parents and other concerned adults make a value judgement as to what is or is not appropriate content.
 The labelling was done using a web-based questionnaire. The content creators checked which of the elements in the questionnaire are present or absent from their Web sites, and a small file is automatically generated using the [[Resource Description Framework|RDF]] format, which is then linked to the content on one or more domains. Formerly, the system was based on [[Platform for Internet Content Selection|PICS]].
-Users, especially parents of young children, could then use [[content filtering software]] to allow or disallow various types of content. One such application, ICRAplus, was maintained by ICRA itself. ICRA also had a validator which tested all versions of ICRA and old [[RSACi]] labels.
+Users could then use [[content filtering software]] to censor various types of content. One such application, ICRAplus, was maintained by ICRA itself. ICRA also had a validator which tested all versions of ICRA and old [[RSACi]] labels.
-The descriptive vocabulary was drawn up by an international panel and designed to be as neutral and objective as possible. It was revised in 2005 to enable easier application to a wide range of digital content, not just websites.
+The content descriptions were revised in 2005 to enable easier application to a wide range of digital content, not just websites.
-The ICRA also intended to launch a service to verify the accuracy of ICRA labels and to provide this information to third-party tools and services, such as search engines.
+The ICRA also intended to launch a service to verify the accuracy of ICRA labels and to provide this information to third-party tools and services, such as [[Web search engine|search engines]].
-Alternative labelling projects include [[Quatro]], an [[European Union|EU]]-funded project which integrates content labels with quality and trust marks, and its successor, [[QuatroPlus]].
+Alternative labelling projects include Quatro, an [[European Union|EU]]-funded project which integrates content labels with quality and trust marks, and its successor, QuatroPlus.
 ==Members==
+ICRA's corporate members included: [[AOL]], [[British Telecom]], [[Microsoft]], [[T-Online]], [[Verizon]], [[Cable & Wireless plc|Cable & Wireless]], [[Demon Internet]], [[IBM]], [[Bertelsmann Stiftung|Bertelsmann Foundation]], [[Internet Watch Foundation|Internet Watch Foundation (IWF)]], and [[Software and Information Industry Association]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://downloads.telmex.com/pdf/icra_Telmex_Final121406.pdf|title=TELMEX and ICRA Unite to Promote Internet Safety in Latin America |website=TELMEX|date=December 2006|access-date=February 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219201537/https://downloads.telmex.com/pdf/icra_Telmex_Final121406.pdf|archive-date=February 19, 2022|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=PDF>{{cite web|url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/CLCCommsUpd/1999/74.pdf|title=Protecting children online|website=PDF|access-date=February 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925001800/http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/CLCCommsUpd/1999/74.pdf|archive-date=September 25, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> ICRA has been supported by the European Union's Internet Action Plan and various trusts and foundations.<ref name=PDF/>
-ICRA's corporate members included: [[AOL]], [[British Telecom]], [[Microsoft]], [[T-Online]] and [[Verizon]]. ICRA has been supported by the European Union's [[Internet Action Plan]] and various trusts and foundations.  Through the Associate Membership scheme, individuals could join and support the work of the organization.
 ==Discontinuation==
-As of October 2010, the ICRA labeling engine has been discontinued by FOSI. Additionally, FOSI has withdrawn all support for the ICRA rating system and taken down all documentation for labeling websites with ICRA ratings.<ref>[http://www.fosi.org/icra/ ICRA]</ref>
+In 2007, [[Family Online Safety Institute]] (FOSI) was created and subsumed the ICRA and its day-to-day operations. In October 2010, the ICRA labeling engine was discontinued by FOSI. Additionally, FOSI has withdrawn all support for the ICRA rating system and taken down all documentation for labeling websites with ICRA ratings.<ref name=AboutICRA/> The reason is that the ICRA label failed to gain widespread acceptance.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://philarcher.org/icra/ICRAfail.pdf |title=ICRAfail – A Lesson For the Future |access-date=2012-06-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324121442/http://philarcher.org/icra/ICRAfail.pdf |archive-date=2012-03-24 |url-status=live }}</ref>
 == See also ==
+* [[Entertainment Software Rating Board]]
-* [[ESRB]]
-* [[Family Online Safety Institute]]
 * [[RSACi]]
+* [[Mobile software content rating system]]
-==External links==
-*http://www.fosi.org/icra/
 == References ==
 {{Reflist}}
+==External links==
+*[http://www.fosi.org/icra/ ICRA Homepage]
+*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090127061502/http://icra.org/vocabulary/ ICRA Vocabulary]
+{{Video game content rating systems}}
+[[Category:Organizations established in 1999]]
+[[Category:Organizations disestablished in 2010]]
+[[Category:1999 establishments in Washington, D.C.]]
+[[Category:2010 disestablishments in Washington, D.C.]]
 [[Category:Media content ratings systems]]
 [[Category:Semantic Web]]
 [[Category:Content-control software]]
+[[Category:Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.]]
+[[Category:Defunct organisations based in the United Kingdom]]
-{{web-stub}}
-{{nonprofit-org-stub}}
-[[de:Internet Content Rating Association]]
-[[pl:Internet Content Rating Association]]

v t e Video game content rating systems
Active	Australian Classification Board (Australia) CERO (Japan) Chilean Rating System (Chile) ClassInd (Brazil) ESRA (Iran) ESRB (US, Canada) FPB (South Africa) Game Rating and Administration Committee (South Korea) Game Software Rating Regulations (Taiwan) Games Rating Authority (United Kingdom) Gmedia (Saudi Arabia) IARC (online) Indonesian Game Rating System (Indonesia) iOS App Store (online) National Audiovisual Institute (Finland) OFLC (New Zealand) RARS (Russia) SMECCV (Mexico) PEGI (Europe, Israel) USK (Germany)
Former/Defunct	3DO Rating System (US) BBFC** (UK) ICRA (online) Korea Media Rating Board NMC (United Arab Emirates) Recreational Software Advisory Council (US) SELL (France) Videogame Rating Council (US)
Related	List of AO-rated video games List of banned video games in Australia
Not all of Europe uses the PEGI rating system. *The BBFC still exists as a motion picture rating system. Additionally, it continues to rate video games containing pornographic, or having external video material.