LOS ANGELES – The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection has launched a free, voluntary website label for use by adult sites. Complete information about the “Restricted to Adults” label is available at a new website, RTAlabel.org.
The RTA label was developed by ASACP with input from adult companies, free speech attorneys, and technical consultants. RTA is designed to enable better parental filtering and to demonstrate the online adult industry’s commitment to helping parents prevent children from viewing age-inappropriate content. It already has been endorsed by prominent adult companies like the AVN Media Network, Channel 1 Releasing, Company Number 4, Crave Media, Cybersocket, Falcon Studios, Hot Movies, Klixxx, Nasty Dollars, Top Bucks, WRAAC, XBiz, and XFanz, as well as noted industry attorneys Lawrence G. Walters and Gregory Piccionelli and industry trade group the Free Speech Coalition.
According to FSC Executive Director Michelle Freridge, “The Free Speech Coalition supports the use of ASACP’s voluntary self-label as a strategy to empower consumers. It’s is a responsible best practice for the online industry.”
In January, during a U.S. Senate hearing titled “Protecting Children on the Internet,” attorney Paul Cambria of the Adult Freedom Foundation was advised to tell his clients that adult sites should self-label soon, “Because [the government will] mandate it, if you don’t.”
A few months later, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales proposed the Child Pornography and Obscenity Prevention Act of 2006, which included a requirement for adult webmasters to place metatags in the headers of every page on every adult site or face up to five years in prison. Several bills now pending in Congress incorporate that provision, but ASACP Executive Director Joan Irvine hopes that united action by the adult entertainment industry will head off new regulations.
“Nobody knows how a government labeling system might work, or how it could affect your business,” cautioned Irvine. “And, even if mandatory labeling doesn’t pass this time, they’re sure to keep tossing new rules against the wall until one finally sticks. But, we can avoid this, by demonstrating that the industry is capable of self-regulation.”
Irvine will speak publicly about the RTA label for the first time at Webmaster Access West. On Friday, Nov. 10, she will participate in a “State of the Industry” panel during which she will answer questions about the initiative.
Founded in 1996, ASACP is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating child pornography from the Internet. ASACP also works to help parents prevent children from viewing age-inappropriate material online.
