The use of ratings standards for digital resources is one response which has been employed by many libraries to the criticisms regarding unrestricted access. While the controversy surrounding access to the Internet involves a variety of complex issues, the following section lists materials discussing some of the general issues, rating and blocking systems, as well as the specific implementations of such systems. Going beyond blocking. The article discusses the options parents and employers have in overseeing what sites their children and employees can access on the Internet. Others set the standards and decide what criteria is restricted and how it is restricted with filtering software.
Ratings systems are more flexible.
They can rate for multiple areas and can allow different access for different people using the same computer. Even if one part of a site may be objectionable, Cyber Patrol and other software block entire sites. The Internet is learning to censor itself. PICS free site. The authors state why they are opposed to the PICS rating system, claiming it's a step toward censorship of the Net.