Another way to look at it: folks who aren't willing to add value to
their web site with PICS labels might be harder to find or view in the
future. With so much information on the web, that seems inevitable to
me, whether it's PICS or something else.
>> It takes judgement about what users are able to access on the internet
>> out of their hands and gives it to self-appointed moral guardians such
>> as ratings authorities and regulatory bodies;
Huh? All it takes to make a PICS rating system is to publish in on
a web page. self-appointed is right!
And PICS doesn't take any choices out of anybody's hands. That's pure
FUD.
>> It demands that the whole of the internet has to be oriented around the
>> protection of children.
And what's wrong with that? Are you against preservation of the
species, for pete's sake?
>> Most importantly it assumes that ordinary people are too stupid or too
>> weak to assess for themselves what is presented to them.
Hmmm... PICS technology _might_ enhance the ability of a government or
some such organization to take this choice away from people, but PICS
itself does no such thing. Rather, it allows people to choose, and to
automate their choices.
Funny thing about technology: it helps the Big Bad Guys just as much
as the Little Good Guys.
Dan