Everyone on the board was American. The idea captured the world's attention, nonetheless. Balkam said administrators, governments, and advocates worldwide contacted RSACi hoping that it could be translated to an internationally acceptable system. A summit arranged to establish such a system may provide the critical momentum. In contrast to legislation that legally mandates participation, self-regulation depends on participation that is voluntary.
Individuals are another key to greater participation.
Parents have not been demanding it enough, despite surveys showing them to be concerned about access to harmful material for their kids. It's highly contextualized and it's very different to reduce a string of characters into what one person might find acceptable. It's part of the reason sites have been reluctant to participate in technology and initiatives that might ultimately prevent them from being seen. Yvonne Gartner, of European Affairs for ICRA member Microsoft Europe, countered that Web sites will be more receptive this time around because they realize ratings are not about value judgments. We're seeing more and more content providers revisiting the issue and looking at it again and saying maybe it's not so bad.