The WSJ is reporting on the strict decency standards US carriers have been setting for mobile content. “The rules, which bar sexually explicit or graphic content, have sparked concern among media providers. Some have already been forced to alter or remove hip-hop ringtones, video clips or other material that wireless operators considered offensive, people familiar with the situation say.”
Verizon has some highly specific rules concerning images (how much bare flesh can be shown, etc) and a list of 83 specific words that are banned, including various names for various body parts, a number of terms for sexual intercourse, anything which derides Verizon, and anything which glorifies certain things such as tobacco, alcohol, drug use and Verizon’s competitors.
Then there’s Cingular’s efforts: “The Cingular Safe filter won’t allow music with “parental advisory” labels, or ringtones that aren’t based on radio-edited versions of songs. A list of “restricted” words runs the gamut from explicit body-part references to the words “condom” and “lesbian.” Images “depicting or insinuating nudity or partial nudity,” including photos from Maxim and Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue, would be restricted…”We’re trying to create a line, and we know it’s not going to be perfect,” says Rob Hyatt, Cingular’s executive director for premium content.” Sure, but Joystiq points out this eliminates a lot of educational and health information content.
So far, the carrier’s are enforcing their standards with ad-hoc phone calls or e-mails asking content providers to edit or remove particular content, which doesn’t sound scaleable.
The rules for the carriers seem to be extensive and explicit, which I think is a good thing. You may not agree with all the specific details, but it’s good to have a list of words rather than a “don’t say anything too naughty” admonition. The biggest problem is that each carrier has its own standards, which makes them, well, not standard, which obviously creates issues for content creators.
The PDF of Cingular and Verizon content guidelines is here.
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