Structural development of Internet self‐regulation: Case study of the Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA)

Self‐regulation is widely considered to be a necessary complement – sometimes substitute – for traditional media‐supervision legislation and practice, especially so when the regulatory object is the Internet, where national legislation meets global networks and content. An example of an internationally structured self‐regulation initiative is provided by the Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA). Its filter for blocking Internet content must be seen within the context of a more extensive bundle of measures based on the principle of self‐regulation. By choosing ICRA as a focal point, the authors set out to illustrate the new, user‐centered paradigm that could become the rule rather than exception for all kinds of media.