Abstract

Caroline Kruger. Censoring the Internet with PICS: An Australian stakeholder analysis

This report examines one Internet censorship regime, the Platform for Internet Content Selection (PICS) self-labelling scheme from a number of perspectives. It examines the push to have PICS adopted in Australia and around the world and the strengths and weaknesses of the system. Based on interviews conducted in September 1997, it shows how PICS is viewed by representatives of key Internet stakeholders. Chapter One briefly investigates the history and nature of the Internet, and looks at various international approaches to this problem. Chapter Two looks at the Australian government’s approach to censorship on the Internet, focusing primarily on the Investigation into the Content of On-line Services, published by the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) in June 1996, and Chapter Three examines the development and features of PICS. Chapters Four and Five explore the concerns and reactions of a number of Internet stakeholders to the PICS infrastructure, and, on the basis of this information, describes the perceived benefits and disadvantages of including PICS in the Australian Internet regulatory environment.

This study concludes that while PICS in itself is a relatively simple infrastructure, its proposed implementation raises matters for further investigation. While the producers of PICS suggest that it was designed to work with many rating systems, it seems unclear at this time how it could do so. If it cannot, the question arises of potential dangers if only one rating scheme becomes popular, and as more people use it by default. The rating or labelling schemes themselves must be investigated to probe more deeply into how they work and what criteria they use to categorise content. Developments in these areas are continuing, and it is likely that current events and decisions in this area will affect the shape of on-line services in the future. The developments in the field of on-line news are an example of this, and it will be interesting to discover how governments plan to avoid the confusion that a news rating might symbolise. The proposals of the Federal government must also be examined further, especially those that relate to on-line service providers and their responsibilities. At this time it is unclear whether ISPs will be forced to mandate labelling on their servers, or how much responsibility they will have for the information they host. It is also unclear whether the proposals of the government will encourage the private sector to introduce censorship for their own protection. Finally, it must be asked whether the actions of democratic governments in supporting and encouraging the development of PICS rating schemes are helping authoritarian governments muzzle their citizens’ access to the Internet, and whether this is acceptable.

PICS could, if left at the level of the individual user, remain a benign and useful tool for organising the Internet, but only if difficulties regarding suitable rating schemes and the legality of content are ironed out. More discussion is needed in the public domain about the realities of PICS, that it is not a quick fix for the problem of undesirable Internet content, and that no technical solution will ever be completely failsafe.