It represents a major step forward in providing a means for Web site authors to block access to adult material by minors and those who do not want to encounter sexually oriented materials. Microsoft provides a PICS filter in its Internet Explorer 3.0 . You can download a free copy and test how it works with our Web site. Netscape promised to build this same feature into its browser before the end of 1996 but as of the beta version of Navigator 4.0 in Netscape Communicator, it has still not been implemented. At Patches' Place, we believe this rating system is a positive alternative to the confrontational demands for censorship by government agencies.
Censorship only breeds fear, intimidation, and coercion.
The U.S. Government and the governments of other countries who want to censor free speech on the Internet would serve their citizens better if they promoted a spirit of cooperation for finding solutions to restrict minors from adult material rather than threatening legal action against their citizens. We also believe that such a rating system is not only an alternative to government censorship but also an alternative to paying to access this site, buying software to filter content, or invading your privacy with one of the adult verification systems other Web sites use such as a First Virtual access shield , or an authentication or validation or adult checking service. The PICS System provides the electronic equivalent of being able to go into an adult bookstore unchallenged unless you appear to be a minor. It brings the freedoms we enjoy in a free society to the Internet community. We already have the PICS rating system on our Web pages.