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CTIA - The Wireless Association and the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) have announced a new rating system that AT&T, Microsoft, Sprint, T-Mobile USA, US Cellular, and Verizon Wireless will voluntarily support.
A press release on CTIA's web site states:
"The CTIA Mobile Application Rating System with ESRB will utilize the well-known and trusted age rating icons that ESRB assigns to computer and video games to provide parents and consumers reliable information about the age-appropriateness of applications...When developers submit their applications to a participating storefront they will be able to complete a detailed yet quick multiple choice questionnaire that is designed to assess an application’s content and context with respect to its age-appropriateness. This includes violence or sexual content, language, substances, etc., as well as other elements such as a minimum age requirement, the exchange of user-generated content, the sharing of a user’s location with other users of the application and the sharing of user-provided personal information with third parties. Once developers complete all answers to these questions, their applications are rated within seconds. Each rated app is issued a certificate and a unique identifying code that may be subsequently submitted to other storefronts during their respective onboarding processes, avoiding the need for developers to repeat the rating process. This means consistent ratings across participating storefronts and a convenient, cost-free process for app developers."
The ESRB says that it will monitor consumer complaints and frequently test the most popular applications.
For the full press release, see the CTIA's web site.
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