call for participation in PICS

The PICS steering committee has drafted a Statement of Principles,
included below, that summarizes their work and beliefs.  At this time
they are asking for additional companies who share these goals to join
in the effort.  In particular, PICS plans a major press conference on
October 30 at Internet World in Boston.  The deadline for inclusion in
this press conference is 5pm EDT Friday October 6, 1995, although this
may be extended because of delays in readying the statement of
principles.

If your company would like to be included in this press release and/or
display the PICS logo at their booth at Internet World you should:

1) Review this statement of principles.

2) If you are in agreement, you must send a letter on company
letterhead (fax or USPS only) to the PICS spokesman:

   Mr. Albert Vezza
   Associate Director
   MIT Lab for Computer Science
   545 Technology Square
   Cambridge, MA 02139
   fax: (617)258-8682

3) The letter must explain that you agree with the PICS statement of
principles, provide a contact name, address, and telephone number.  In
addition, a fax number and email address would be helpful.  This
contact person should be able to make the formal decision for your
company on inclusion in this and other press events.

4) If you wish to allow the use of your corporate logo, you should
send a URL with a GIF image of the logo for use in press materials.
The preferred size is 48x48 pixels.

================ PICS Statement of Principles ================

PICS is a cross-industry working group whose goal is to facilitate the
development of technologies to give users of interactive media, such
as the Internet, control over the kinds of material to which they and
their children have access.  PICS members believe that individuals,
groups and businesses should have easy access to the widest possible
range of content selection products, and a diversity of voluntary
rating systems.

In order to advance its goals, PICS will devise a set of standards
that facilitate the following:

* Self-rating: enable content providers to voluntarily label the
content they create and distribute.

* Third-party rating: enable multiple, independent labeling services
to associate additional labels with content created and distributed by
others.  Services may devise their own labeling systems, and the same
content may receive different labels from different services.

* Ease-of-use: enable parents and teachers to use ratings and labels
from a diversity of sources to control the information that children
under their supervision receive.

PICS members believe that an open labeling platform which incorporates
these features provides the best way to preserve and enhance the
vibrancy and diversity of the Internet.  Easy access to technology
which enables first- and third-party rating of content will give users
maximum control over the content they receive without requiring new
restrictions on content providers.

Membership in PICS includes a broad cross-section of companies from
the computer, communications, and content industries, as well as trade
associations and public interest groups.  PICS member will deploy
products and services based on these standards.

------- End of Forwarded Message

Received on Thursday, 5 October 1995 18:04:47 UTC