House bill to protect children online

Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., says he is introducing a bill that aims to make the Web safer for children by asking congressional Web sites to comply with standards set by Internet content filtering organizations. Among the standards would be those from the Internet Content Ratings Association (ICRA), an international nonprofit group that has developed technology that enables parents to filter Web content by matching individual preferences to self-assigned ratings from Web site operators.

The bill encourages Congress members to voluntarily label their sites "in a manner consistent with Internet content labeling and filtering tools, in order to make the Internet safer for children while protecting freedom of expression," according to Goodlatte. The House resolution is co-sponsored by Reps. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif.; Jennifer Dunn, R-Wash.; Bob Etheridge, D-N.C.; Chris Cannon, R-Utah; Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.; and Adam Smith, D-Wash.