QuickLinks - Rating and filtering

recent items

Issue no. 410 - 6 August 2010

• CN - China Green Dam web filter teams 'face funding crisis' (BBC)
  Reports from China say a controversial government-backed software project to filter internet content could be on the brink of collapse. State media said the developer behind the Green Dam Youth Escort software had closed its Beijing project team because of a lack of government funding. Its partner in Henan said without funding, its team would soon close too. China had insisted all computers be equipped with the software, but scaled back plans after censorship complaints.

• UK - New games age-ratings delayed (BBC)
  The newly-revamped PEGI age-ratings system for videogames in the UK has been delayed and will not come into force until April 2011. The Video Standards Council has said that no game carrying a PEGI 18 logo should be on shelves in game stores until April 1 2011. After that point in time, PEGI's age-ratings system will be legally enforceable, with heavy fines for retailers that flaunt the law by selling adult games to minors. The delay is down to the fact that the recently-passed Digital Economy Act has not yet been 'made effective' according to the VSC.

Issue no. 408 - 25 April 2010

• Supremely useful tool for parents: GetParentalControls.org (Net Family News)
  ow about the ultimate guide to parental-control technology ? Check out GetParentalControls.org's 2010 Product Guide. What you get is a tremendous service: at-a-glance comparison-shopping organized in a number of ways: e.g., by kids' ages (up to 7, 8-10, etc.); by type (filtering, monitoring, etc.); by location (at the operating-system, router, or ISP level); by activity (Web browsing, email, IM, search engines, video-sharing, virtual worlds, social networking, etc.); and by device (cellphone, game console, media player, etc.).

• UK - Microsoft, Tanya Byron Praise Digital Economy Bill (Edge)
  Dr Tanya Byron and Microsoft executive Neil Thompson have labelled the passing of the Digital Economy Bill into law as a victory for parents and children alike. The controversial bill – which was passed by a majority of 142 in the House of Commons - makes the PEGI classification system for games legally binding, among other measures.

Issue no. 407 - 28 March 2010

• UK - Controversial DVD censoring system to be launched (BBC)
  A controversial new DVD system that can censor films is to be released in the UK later this year. ClearPlay allows parents to filter material with options to remove scenes containing blood, violence, offensive words and blasphemy. But the system has been criticised in America, with the Directors Guild of America taking the company to court claiming violation of copyright laws. A judge decided that wasn't the case because no fixed copy of the altered version of the motion picture was created. The system requires a compatible DVD player and a monthly subscription costing $7.99. Users download a regularly-updated database of movie information, containing timecodes of potentially offensive content. This 'meta-data' tells the player when to jump past a scene or cut the volume.

Issue no. 406 - 21 February 2010

• YouTube's new tool for kid-safe viewing (Net Family News)
  More than 33 billion online videos were watched during December and about a third of the them were on YouTube, according to comScore's latest figures. A 2008 study by Nielsen found that YouTube was 2-to-11-year-olds' No. 1 video viewing site (see this). So parents will probably be happy to know that YouTube now has its own filter for sexually explicit or violent content. "While no filter is 100% perfect, Safety Mode is another step in our ongoing desire to give you greater control over the content you see on the site," says the YouTube blog.

Issue no. 404 - 21 December 2009

• FR - Nadine Morano critique la signalétique des jeux vidéo (01net)
  La secrétaire d’Etat à la Famille estime que les avertissements Pegi de classification par âge sont peu lisibles. Les éditeurs de jeux vidéo sont en colère.

• US - Video game ratings board releases iPhone app (CNET News.com)
  The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) announced its new iPhone app, which is designed to put the board's full written summaries of more than 2,500 video games right at parents' fingertips.

Issue no. 402 - 18 October 2009

• CN - Last Major PC Makers Ditch Chinese Web Filter (IDG News Service)
  Some of the few PC makers who offered a controversial Web filtering program mandated by China have reversed those plans, dealing the latest blow to China's efforts to deploy the software nationwide. Lenovo, Acer and Sony have all stopped bundling the program, named Green Dam Youth Escort, with PCs sold in China, the companies said.

• DE - Scharfe Kritik am deutschen Jugendschutz (Heise)
  "What's wrong with the Germans?" - an dieser provokanten Frage hat Electronic-Arts-Manager Gerhard Florin am Donnerstag auf der Kölner Spielemesse gamescom seine harte Kritik am deutschen Jugendschutz und dem System der Selbstkontrolle aufgehängt. Besonders an der Nicht-Freigabe vieler Spiele entzündet sich die Kritik des EA-Vertreters: "Das ist für mich Zensur".

• US - FCC cites success of video game rating system (News.com)
  In a report regarding the implementation of the Child Safe Viewing Act, the FCC found that the video game ratings scheme is a success and that "the video game industry already provides one of the most robust voluntary rating systems available." The report also concludes that the variety and variables within each media segment make it extremely difficult to manage.

Issue no. 401 - 26 July 2009

• UK - School computers 'fail to filter' (BBC)
  School computer systems in the UK are failing to identify 10% of incoming harmful content, research suggests. Data monitored from 30,000 students found content from items such as mobile phones and cameras which had not been picked up by filter systems. Researchers from online safety firm, E-Safe Education, say children are still able to access inappropriate content.

Issue no. 400 - 5 July 2009

• Bing gets porn domain to filter out explicit images and videos (Computerworld)
  Microsoft has added a separate domain to its Bing search service just for pornographic images and video. No, Microsoft isn't getting into the smut business. Instead, the company is trying to make it easier for companies and organizations to filter explicit images out of search results. Mike Nichols, general manager of Microsoft Bing, said in a blog post that potentially explicit images and video content now will be coming from one separate domain - explicit.bing.net.

Issue no. 399 - 7 June 2009

• Apple May Offer Age Controls for iPhone Apps (New York Times)
  New details about the parental control system coming to the App Store. All iPhone applications will be rated in one of four age categories: 4+, 9+, 12+, or 17+. When Apple announced the coming 3.0 release of its iPhone software, it referred to parental controls for apps. I assume the new system will allow Apple to accept more applications that it now rejects, on the theory that parents will be able to limit children from getting applications that can give them access to raunchy or violent material. (The iPhone and iTouch already offer a way for parents to block the devices' Web browser and YouTube viewer).

• AU - ACMA releases report on internet filtering technologies and online safety measures (INHOPE)
  On 22 April 2009 the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) released its second report on international developments in internet filtering technologies and other safety initiatives. The report finds that the most comprehensive method of addressing online safety and security risks is to target multiple points along the supply chain for internet content and services.

• JP - New Service from OCN Provides Children with Safer Internet (Press Release)
  Customers of NTT Communications' "OCN" Internet access service can take advantage of a new offering to make home computers and the Internet safer for their children. The service, named "OCN Kids Care," was launched in response to children's increasing access to potentially harmful sites on the Internet. The service not only allows parents to set rules for Internet usage and then change settings remotely if necessary, it also helps to create a transparent atmosphere in which parents and their children can openly discuss Internet safety issues.

Issue no. 398 - 13 April 2009

• US - FCC launches Inquiry into advanced blocking technologies (FCC)
  This Notice of Inquiry ("NOI") implements the Child Safe Viewing Act of 2007, adopted December 2, 2008, which directs the Commission to initiate a proceeding within 90 days after the date of enactment to examine "the existence and availability of advanced blocking technologies that are compatible with various communications devices or platforms." Congress defined "advanced blocking technologies" as "technologies that can improve or enhance the ability of a parent to protect his or her child from any indecent or objectionable video or audio programming, as determined by such parent, that is transmitted through the use of wire, wireless, or radio communications." Congress's intent in adopting the Act was to spur the development of the "next generation of parental control technology." In conducting this proceeding, we will examine blocking technologies that may be appropriate across a wide variety of distribution platforms and devices, can filter language based upon information in closed captioning, can operate independently of pre-assigned ratings, and may be effective in enhancing a parent's ability to protect his or her child from indecent or objectionable programming, as determined by the parent.

Issue no. 397 - 8 March 2009

• US - FCC launches Inquiry into advanced blocking technologies (FCC)
  This Notice of Inquiry ("NOI") implements the Child Safe Viewing Act of 2007, adopted December 2, 2008, which directs the Commission to initiate a proceeding within 90 days after the date of enactment to examine "the existence and availability of advanced blocking technologies that are compatible with various communications devices or platforms." Congress defined "advanced blocking technologies" as "technologies that can improve or enhance the ability of a parent to protect his or her child from any indecent or objectionable video or audio programming, as determined by such parent, that is transmitted through the use of wire, wireless, or radio communications." Congress's intent in adopting the Act was to spur the development of the "next generation of parental control technology." In conducting this proceeding, we will examine blocking technologies that may be appropriate across a wide variety of distribution platforms and devices, can filter language based upon information in closed captioning, can operate independently of pre-assigned ratings, and may be effective in enhancing a parent's ability to protect his or her child from indecent or objectionable programming, as determined by the parent.

Issue no. 395 - 27 December 2008

• EU - Improvement in filtering tools (Europa)
  The new SIP Bench study on filtering tools shows that overall tools have improved over the last three years and have become easier to install. During the last year of this three-year project, Deloitte once again carried out the SIP Benchmark testing via a comprehensive study of 26 tools for parental control. This benchmark analyses how effectively these technical solutions protect children aged 6 to 16 against harmful content on the Internet. About 140 parents and teachers from various European countries were involved in the study. In addition to these "real life" testers, an Internet laboratory was set up to conduct thorough testing under identical conditions. In general, we observe a very positive trend in filter accuracy.However an number of filters detect more potentially harmful content at the expense of unduly overblocking harmless content.

• UK - Website age ratings 'an option' (BBC)
  Film-style age ratings could be applied to websites to protect children from harmful and offensive material, UK Culture Secretary Andy Burnham has said. Mr Burnham said the government was looking at a number of possible new internet safeguards. He said some content, such as clips of beheadings, was unacceptable and new standards of decency were needed. He also plans to negotiate with the US on drawing up international rules for English language websites. Mr Burnham, a father of three young children, believes internet service providers should offer child-friendly web access.

• US - Study by Parents Television Council Finds YouTube Filtering Lacking (Filtering Facts)
  Parents Television Council has just released a study of YouTube's filtering. extremely graphic content and harsh profanity are just a click away for kids entering seemingly innocent search terms on YouTube. The PTC's study not only analyzes content in 280 of the most popular YouTube videos, but also takes into account the text commentary and advertisements that were available alongside the videos. The 20 highest-ranked YouTube videos from each of the site's most popular search terms yielded an extraordinary amount of graphic and adult-themed content. David Burt, who runs the Filtering Facts blog, comes to simlar conclusions. He found video clips already tagged by YouTube as adult content - but YouTube's filter doesn't catch them. This compares unfavourably with Google text search and Google image search using "strict filtering".

Issue no. 394 - 7 December 2008

• US - Enhancements to game ratings (Net Family News)
  The US body responsible for videogame ratings - the Entertainment Software Rating Board - are making them a little more useful to parents. They've created a mobile ratings site for cellphones (http://m.esrb.org), CNET reports. So parents can now access a rating even at point-of-purchase, when pressure from those kid gamers can be intense and a little right info at the fingertips can help. Both the mobile site and the regular Web one also have rating summaries. L

Issue no. 393 - 9 November 2008

• UK - Games ratings row gets colourful (BBC)
  The video games consortium Elspa has proposed a solution to the ongoing games ratings controversy. Elspa supports a 'traffic-light'-type system as part of its voluntary ratings code that it says is more effective. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) dismissed the effort, saying their own colour-coded approach is well-established. A government consultation on the matter due to finish in November aims to agree a legally enforceable ratings scheme.

Issue no. 392 - 5 October 2008

• 2008-09-23 US, Cambridge MA - Internet Safety Technical Task ForceOpen Meeting (ISTTF)
  Tuesday, September 23, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Wednesday, September 24, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Ropes Gray Room, Pound Hall, Harvard Law School. The Internet Safety Technical Task Force (ISTTF) is a group of Internet businesses, non-profit organizations, academics, and technology companies that have joined together to identify effective tools and technologies to create a safer environment on the Internet for youth. It was created in February 2008 in accordance with the Joint Statement on Key Principles of Social Networking Safety announced by the Attorneys General Multi-State Working Group on Social Networking and MySpace in January 2008. The scope of the ISTTF's inquiry is to consider those technologies that industry and end users can utilize to keep children and youth safe on the Internet, with a focus on preventing harmful contact with adults and with other minors. On September 23rd and 24th, 2008 the Berkman Center will host a day and a half-long public meeting of the Internet Safety Technical Task Force at Harvard Law School. This meeting will be an opportunity for members of the public to learn about the work of the Task Force, to explore the different technology-related problems and solutions under consideration, and to raise questions and share ideas. The day's agenda will include over a dozen presentations of youth online safety solutions based on a range of technologies, including age verification, biometrics, filtering and auditing, text analysis, and combinations thereof. Additionally, on Wednesday, September 24, participants are invited to hear presentations by leading social network sites regarding recent measures they have undertaken to make their sites safer for youth. see also Internet Safety Technical Task Force meeting roundup. The ISTTF: Chicken or egg?

• UK - Computer games industry calls for PEGI ratings system (Guardian)
  The computer games industry has again called for the UK government to choose PEGI, the voluntary Pan-European Games Information ratings, instead of a proposed hybrid system, as it seeks to implement the findings of this year's Byron report on the safety of children online.

Issue no. 390 - 20 July 2008

• UK - Divide on games industry ratings (BBC)
  A row has broken out between the games industry and the UK's content classifiers over who should regulate video games in the future. UK games industry body Elspa has called on the government to replace the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) role's in assessing video games. The industry favours its own voluntary system, called Pegi. see also BBFC vs PEGI debate rolls on (GamesIndustry.biz).

• US - Berkman Center Announces Request for Technical Submissions Related to Child Safety on the Internet (Berkmann Center)
  The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University announces a Request for Technical Submissions as part of the work of the Internet Safety Technical Task Force. The Task Force, comprised of leading Internet businesses and organizations, is focused on identifying effective online safety tools and technologies that can be used by companies and individuals across multiple platforms. The Request for Technical Submissions asks companies, non-profits, and individuals with technologies relevant to child safety online to submit a detailed description that will enable a thorough review by the Task Force's Technical Advisory Board.

Issue no. 389 - 22 June 2008

• FR - French to block porn, terror, hate web sites (Reuters)
  The French state and Internet service providers have struck a deal to block sites carrying child pornography or content linked to terrorism or racial hatred, Interior Minister Michel Alliot-Marie announced. The plan, part of a larger effort to fight cybercriminality, is to go into effect in September when a "black list" will be built up based on input from Internet users who signal sites dealing with the offensive material.

• FR - Les FAI devront filtrer les sites pédopornographiques (ZDNet.fr)
  La ministre de l'Intérieur Michèle Alliot-Marie veut accélérer la lutte contre la pédopornographie sur internet. Dans un discours prononcé dans le cadre des Assises du numérique, elle a indiqué avoir trouvé un terrain d'entente avec les opérateurs télécoms et les fournisseurs d'accès internet (FAI) : « Nous nous sommes mis d'accord, l'accès aux sites à caractère pédopornographique sera bloqué en France. » Voir Allocution de Michèle ALLIOT-MARIE, Ministre de l'Intérieur, de l'Outre-Mer et des Collectivités Territoriales, lors de l'ouverture des Assises du Numérique - Atelier Lutte contre la cybercriminalité, le mardi 10 juin 2008. voir aussi La France vise un verrouillage de l'accès aux sites pédophiles avant 2009 (Le Monde). La France devrait mettre en place un système de blocage de l'accès aux sites pédopornographiques sur internet avant la fin 2008, a annoncé la secrétaire d'Etat française à la Famille, Nadine Morano, lors d'une visite d'étude en Norvège, pays pionnier en la matière.

• FR- Nadine Morano préconise une norme Afnor pour les logiciels de contrôle parental (vnunet.fr)
  A l'Atelier "Protection de l'Enfant" organisé par la secrétaire d'Etat en charge de la Famille dans le cadre des Assises du Numérique, la ministre a déclaré qu'"Il n'y aurait pas de confiance dans l'économie numérique sans protection des enfants sur le Web" et que cette protection devait reposer, "comme une voie ferrée, sur deux rails parallèles : le filtrage des sitespédopornographiques et les logiciels de contrôle parental." Sur le premier point, un accord doit être trouvé entre les différents ministères concernés et les fournisseurs d'accès. Une étude de faisabilité technique a été confiée au Forum des droits sur l'Internet. Nadine Morano a d'ailleurs rappelé son engagement à ce que ces fameux logiciels de filtrage atteignent un meilleur taux de performance. Un dispositif plus lourd d'élaboration du cahier des charges de ces logiciels de contrôle - passant peut-être par une norme Afnor - et de contrôle de ces outils - le processus d'évaluation resterait à définir - devrait être prochainement étudié avec les FAI. Enfin, la ministre a promis pour la fin de l'année une grande campagne audiovisuelle et multimédia de sensibilisation des parents aux dangers d'internet pour les jeunes.

• US - Verizon offers free parental controls (CNET)
  Verizon Communications plans soon to offer online parental controls for free to all its broadband customers in an ongoing effort to keep kids safe on the Net. Specifically, Verizon plans to offer parents the ability to block their children from viewing selected content. The company is also offering application filters so parents can limit access to certain applications. And Verizon is giving parents the ability to designate specific time periods when the Internet or certain functions can and cannot be used.

Issue no. 388 - 1 June 2008

• JP - Government plans blocking of child porn sites (Yomiuri Shimbun)
  The ruling parties in Japan will introduce legislation for Internet service providers to block access to child pornography sites with major providers in favor of the move. Under the blocking system, Internet service providers would use special software to block access to Web sites included on a police list of child porn sites, including sites using overseas servers. Britain, Italy, Sweden and other countries have already implemented such a system, and it is claimed the approach has been effective in limiting child porn on the Web.

• UK - Net downloads to get age ratings (BBC)
  Age ratings for downloaded video content and video games are to be introduced in the UK. Overseen by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), the scheme will see certificates appear on websites, via set-top boxes and portable players. Disney, Warners and Fox have signed up to the scheme with other "key industry figures... poised to join the scheme". see also Censors go online to clean up murky world of digital videos (Times).

• US - Age verification not the 'killer app' (Net Family news)
  ConnectSafely.org was invited to join the Internet Safety Task Force that is part of MySpace's settlement with 49 state attorneys general. One of the Task Force's main goals is to see if age verification technology can be used to protect minors. The Task Force's first meeting - was attended by Internet companies including MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, AOL, Google, and Yahoo, age- and identity-verification companies, and online-safety organizations. Larry Magid wonders if such technology would be helpful even if it could be employed. See his commentary at CBSNEWS.com.

Issue no. 387 - 12 May 2008

• DE - Gutachten: Netzsperren greifen in Grundrechte ein (Heise)
  Sperrverfügungen für Inhalte im Internet "greifen in erheblichem Umfang in die Meinungsfreiheit der Inhaltsanbieter, die Informationsfreiheit der Nutzer sowie die Berufsfreiheit der Internetprovider ein." Zu diesem Ergebnis kommt das von der Kommission für Jugendmedienschutz (KJM) vorgestellte Gutachten zu Sperrverfügungen im Internet. Wegen der Grundrechtseingriffe und der möglichen Beeinträchtigung der technischen Funktion des Netzes müssten "schwierige rechtliche Abwägungen und Verhältnismäßigkeitsprüfungen im Einzelfall" den Maßnahmen immer vorangehen, heißt es in dem Gutachten weiter. Der KJM-Vorsitzende Wolf-Dieter Ring sagte, die KJM habe bewusst in den vergangenen fünf Jahren keine Verfügung erlassen. Vielmehr setze man auf einen Dialog mit den Zugangsanbietern, damit diese selbst Verantwortung übernähmen und Inhalte auf freiwilliger Basis sperrten.

• Peer-to-Peer Filters: Ready for Internet Prime Time? (Internet Evolution)
  by Carsten Rossenhövel. Internet Evolution and SNEP (the Syndicat National de l?Édition Phonographique, an organization that represents the interests of the French music industry), commissioned an independent test lab, the European Advanced Networking Test Center AG (EANTC), to test the functionality and performance of P2P filters. EANTC invited 28 vendors of P2P filtering products to participate in the evaluation. 0nly five agreed to take part, and only two vendors were brave enough to agree with publication of the results.

Issue no. 386 - 20 April 2008

• Business on the Hotseat Over Net Censorship (Michael Geist)
  In the mid-1990s, John Gilmore, one of the founders of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, coined the phrase "the Internet interprets censorship as damage and routes around it." A growing number of countries seem determined to challenge Gilmore's maxim. China is the best known, having implemented both a massive content filtering system that exerts control over external content and demanded that foreign Internet firms establish Chinese-versions of their services that abide by the government's requirements. China's censorship system may be the most extensive, but it is not alone. The University of Toronto's OpenNet Initiative, a world leader in tracking state-sponsored Internet censorship, recently co-published Access Denied, a book that highlights its pervasive growth.

• CoE - Recommendation on Internet filters (Council of Europe)
  Recommendation CM/Rec(2008)6 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on measures to promote the respect for freedom of expression and information with regard to Internet filters (Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 26 March 2008 at the 1022nd meeting of the Ministers' Deputies) .

• UK - Video games ratings face overhaul (BBC)
  Video game ratings need to be overhauled to make them easier for parents and children to understand, a UK government-backed review has said. Carried out by psychologist Dr Tanya Byron, it says more games need to be rated by official bodies. It calls for the creation of a UK body to draw up and oversee a national strategy to keep children safe online. It also recommends that new PCs be sold with software that will help prevent children seeing harmful online content. See also Government to create child internet safety council (OUT-LAW News).

• UK - Videogame retailers support Byron Review, says Byron (Register Hardware)
  Psychologist Dr Tanya Byron has told a meeting of videogame publishers that most retailers support the idea of giving the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) a bigger role over game classification.

• US - Safer surfing for the kids (FT)
  Start-up KidZui have come up with a radically different approach that combines elements of social networking and fun avatars to create a safe web surfing experience for children aged three to 12. Instead of blacklisting bad websites, the KidZui service, which is built on top of standard browser technology, effectively "whitelists" the good ones - which have been identified and vetted by real people.

Issue no. 385 - 21 March 2008

• AU - Australian net filter at test phase (Australian IT)
  The federal Government's plan to have internet service providers filter pornography and other internet content deemed inappropriate for children is going full-steam ahead. 26 February was the deadline for expressions of interest to Enex TestLab, the Melbourne company evaluating internet service provider content filters on behalf of the Australian Communications and Media Authority. The trial will evaluate ISP-level internet content filters in a controlled environment while filtering content inappropriate for children, and will be followed by live field trials.

• CN - "The Connection Has Been Reset? (The Atlantic)
  by James Fallows. China's Great Firewall is crude, slapdash, and surprisingly easy to breach. Here's why it's so effective anyway.

• CN - China blocks media due to Tibet unrest (Guardian)
  The Chinese government has cracked down on international media coverage of the unrest in Tibet, blocking websites and censoring the local feeds of broadcasters including BBC World and CNN. China's internet clampdown came over the weekend, following the outbreak of widespread unrest and violence in Tibet last week, and has hit websites including Yahoo, YouTube and Guardian.co.uk.

• FR - Dailymotion : la technologie de filtrage Signature entre en scène (ZDNet.fr)
  Dailymotion annonce le déploiement généralisé de la technologie Signature sur tous ses sites dans le monde. En octobre dernier, le site français de partage de vidéos a passé un accord avec l'Institut national de l'Audiovisuel (Ina), créateur de ce système de protection des contenus audiovisuels. Fonctionnant à partir d'une base d'empreintes numériques, il a été développé en interne par l'organisme public. Signature reconnaît et bloque la mise en ligne de vidéos piratées sur les sites de diffusion tels que Dailymotion.

• ISP "Voluntary" / Mandatory Filtering (libertus.net)
  by Irene Graham. This page contains information about ISP-level filtering systems implemented, by various ISPs in various countries, to prevent accidental access to child sexual abuse material on web pages/sites. It has been researched and produced in the context of the Australian Federal Labor Government's 2008 "plan" to mandate that Australian ISPs block access to a vastly larger type and quantity of web pages.

• Online games and the pre-teen killers (Times)
  Blog by David Hutchinson. I have been playing online with my Xbox. The game I've been playing the most is Call Of Duty 4, which has a 16+ rating. I wonder about the whole age rating thing. The Xbox has a plug-in headphone/microphone set. Many of the players appear to be boys who can't even be into their teenage years who shout insults in their pre-adolescent high pitches. I want parents to enforce game restriction ages, so I can enjoy an evening gaming and even if I still come last, at least it will be last among my peers.

• PK - Details emerge on YouTube block (BBC)
  Pakistan has rejected claims that it was responsible for blocking global access to the YouTube video clip site. YouTube was hard to reach this week following action by Pakistan to block access inside its borders for its hosting of a "blasphemous" video clip. Analysis suggests the block was taken up by net hardware that routes data effectively cutting off the site.But a spokeswoman for Pakistan's telecoms authority said the problem was caused by a "malfunction" elsewhere. See also Blocked YouTube (Economist).

• UK - MPs get web filter 'dark ages' warning (Guardian)
  A Microsoft executive told MPs that forcing software companies to install internet content filtering technology with high-security settings as standard to all computers would send the UK back to the "dark ages". The idea of forcing companies such as Microsoft to pre-install high security content filters was raised at a Commons culture, media and sport select committee hearing on protecting children from harmful content on the internet and in video games.

• US - CDT skeptical participants in Internet Safety Technical Task Force (CDT)
  The Center for Democracy & Technology announced its participation in the newly formed Internet Safety Technical Task Force, created to examine technologies that might be used to protect children from inappropriate material or contacts on the Internet. Said CDT President Leslie Harris. "CDT is pleased to take its place at this important table. However, while we look forward to a thorough and rigorous study of the issues, our participation comes with a healthy dose of skepticism." CDT believes that technology tools in the hands of parents are a key part of the online safety landscape; however, technologies, such as age verification, that put Internet companies in the role of gatekeeper, raise a host of legal and policy questions.

more items

QuickLinks consists of

• a free newsletter appearing approximately every two to three weeks. The newsletter is distributed by electronic mail through an "announcement only" mailing list.
• a Web site with frequent updates, an events page, news items organised by category as well as chronologically by issue and full text search.