WRAAC.org, a not-for-profit organization and a member of the Free Speech Coalition, has developed and introduced the ParentalControl Bar. The bar is a simple-yet-powerful tool developed to help parents shield children from sexually explicit websites. Although no system is ever perfect – and no one can guarantee that all unwanted websites will be blocked – the bar provides parents with a filtering tool that will allow them to control more effectively the types of websites their children access.
Since the bar launched in beta this summer, more than 17,000 households have downloaded it despite the lack of significant advertising efforts, according to CNET.com. Several substantial adult-content Internet sites link to the product’s CNET download page.
“We support the use of end-user filtering tools,” says FSC Executive Director Michelle Freridge. “These tools allow the consumer to decide what is appropriate and not appropriate for themselves and their children, rather than relying on the government or a third party to make such personal moral decisions.”
“We have received many positive emails from parents around the world supporting the concept of free parental controls,” says WRAAC President Jeff Young. “We simply label the content and nature of the most popular websites on the internet. This data, together with a simple, free browser-filtering tool, empowers parents to make their own decision on the forms of content that enters the home. Our mission is to build the world’s most simple, effective filtering software and distribute it for free.”
“WRAAC has donated substantial time and resources to making this project a reality,” according to First Amendment attorney Lawrence G. Walters, a member of the FSC’s Internet Committee. “The adult Internet community, not to mention Internet users generally, stands to benefit substantially from [WRAAC’s] efforts.
“The time has come for action in regards to labeling,” Walters continues. “The industry cannot afford to wait another second, given the current political climate. If webmasters are fortunate enough to dodge the bullet of mandatory-labeling legislation this session, [the industry] must demonstrate that it has the issue well in hand before the government decides its fate [during the] next [congressional] term.”
FSC is the trade organization of the adult entertainment industry. Its mission is to safeguard the industry from oppressive governmental regulation and to promote good business practices within the industry.
