Considering the huge amount of information available in cyberspace, combined with our limited eyeballs and the limited visual range of each pair of eyes, it may be more necessary to filter information in cyberspace. In fact, computer and Internet technologies have provided technical support for content selection. Internet content selection systems are divided into different categories. The first is what we might call an active, limited content selection system. These content selection systems consist of search agents and browser page numbers that highlight specific information for users. As highlighted above, users can personalize their information systems. The reason why these "Guo A" are called active and limited content selection systems is that when they highlight certain information and information sources, they do not prevent users from visiting other websites and viewing other content. For example, users can set their browser homepage as People's Daily Online. In this way, when users connect their computers to the Internet through telephone lines, the content and links on the homepage of the People's Daily Online will be the first thing they see. However, this does not prevent users from visiting other websites. Users can re open windows on other websites or visit other websites through the links provided by People's Daily Online Website Design Or into other cyberspace.
At the same time, there are more complex and negative content selection systems. These content selection systems use keywords, etc., to select content. For example, both Internet users and Internet content or service providers can use certain software to block or prevent the pages or content of certain websites from entering the user's computer screen. Of course, you can also use the same technology to receive websites or content that meet the software requirements. Microsoft's Internet Explorer only has the function of rating review of content, which can help users control what they see when they use the Internet. In addition, users can add some sites that are forbidden to browse and sites that are allowed to visit in the rating review column, so as to control the access content..
However, more and more content selection systems use built-in rating systems, such as Internet Content Selection Platform (PIGS). Such systems enable content providers or authorized entities to add digital labels to Internet content. It is up to the user's selection software to decide how to handle the content with specific tags, such as blocking, restricting access, granting access, organizing or performing some other tasks. Internet content selection platform and other technologies with built-in rating system can seriously block the reading of sites without rating, or block the reading of all sites with certain labels. After this setting, the Internet content selection platform can significantly reduce the Internet reading range of users.
But compared with "electronic smart agents", this content selection system is only equivalent to the level of children's games. Electronic intelligent agents will browse the Internet for the benefit of users and bring back or allow information menus that are only consistent with users' specifications. There is no doubt that intelligent agents are a complex and positive filter. What they do is far from highlighting specific information. More specifically, once they are configured, users can, with their help, only read the content that is consistent with the user's carefully tailored text, graphics, videos and music, and effectively avoid other content.
Internet content selection is not necessarily set by individuals according to their hobbies and needs. Users often delegate their content choices to intermediaries. For example, this happens when a user relies on a third-party database to decide which sites to license or prohibit. In this case, the most serious problem is that third-party databases are often difficult to meet the user's content selection requirements, because database filtering systems are notorious for their wide and inaccurate filtering range. At the same time, software developers will also use their own software to force sales of certain expressions. For example, a parent controlled software called Cybersitter once blocked the websites of the National Organization of Women and also blocked websites that criticized Internet content selection because of "sexual content".
Software that claims to choose certain content but in fact chooses completely different content should accept the same legal responsibility as false advertising. In addition, some people would argue that intermediaries in content selection systems should fully disclose their A-pass criteria, including the list of websites blocked by them. The reason for refusing to do so is that their content selection system standards constitute their trade secrets. This view is not unreasonable. Especially for commercial intermediaries, publishing the standards of content selection system to competitors who may steal will reduce the enthusiasm of developing standards and collecting the list of banned websites to a certain extent. Nevertheless, from the perspective of protecting freedom of expression, the state should require intermediaries to fully display the details of their filtering, because only in this way can users enjoy the autonomous right to choose the expression content. Although this will affect the enthusiasm of some business entities to develop and distribute content selection systems, it is far from causing the shrinking of the content selection system software market. The reason is that there will be more members or organizations inspired by citizens' ideas. They will still provide citizens with a more practical and accurate content selection system.
