The organization said the software, which is being targeted at carriers and handset manufacturers for distribution with new phones, will prevent applications marked as adult from running on RTA-enabled Android phones.
The RTA parental controls for android mobile apps system consists of a unique meta data tag that can be inserted into any age-restricted Android application and the RTA mobile app filter.
The RTA label can then be detected in any Android mobile app with the filters meta data tag detection algorithms. When the RTA label is detected by the RTA mobile app filter, the age restricted app can be stopped or the entire package with the RTA-labeled app can be removed from the mobile device.
“The expansion of the Restricted to Adults label to mobile applications shows that the adult entertainment industry continues to self-regulate and provide parents with tools to keep age-restricted content out of the hands of children,” ASACP CEO Joan Irvine said.
“ASACP is very pleased with the adoption of the RTA label into adult websites and browser parental controls since 2006. More than 4.5 million sites are labeled with RTA.
"Since the bulk of app developers have agreed to include the RTA label for Android mobile apps software into the apps they develop, we are certain of success with apps too," Irvine said.
Irvine said ASACP hopes Apple and Microsoft will include the RTA parental controls in further editions of their mobile operating systems.
"Before this technology there was no way for a parent to prevent their child from viewing age restricted mobile applications," said Tim Henning, ASACP vice president of technology.
"The RTA parental controls for Android mobile apps system solves this problem by giving parents the power to effectively control the content their children consume via mobile apps," he said.
Henning noted that the RTA parental controls represents a "significant stride in keeping pace with ever evolving technologies" that can be used to deliver age-restricted content.
"With the explosion of mobile platform applications, including adult entertainment apps, it is important for parents to have a tool that will allow them to more effectively control the content their children consume on their mobile devices," Henning said.
Currently this system has only been developed for use by the creators of age-restricted apps and the manufacturers of Android mobile operating system devices, but it is being adapted for use on other mobile operating systems.
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