“We have been talking with Wicked on and off for two years about sponsorship,” ASACP Executive Director Joan Irvine told XBiz. “We wanted to be sure all the monitoring systems were in place.”
The monitoring systems include an automatic spider program that routinely checks website content against a continuously updated database of suspect search terms and criteria, as well as what Irvine describes as “gray areas.”
ASACP’s spidering and database software was developed by Texas- based Cydata Services.
“If our compliance department finds a gray area on a member's site, we have a process by which the member site is informed,” Irvine said. "Webmasters are grateful we’ve let them know, and usually say, ‘I didn’t know (suspect content) was up there’ and remove it immediately.
Irvine joined ASACP in 2002 and immediately began searching for ways to automate the compliance process, which had been manual and time consuming before.
“We couldn’t grow our membership until we had the means to fulfill our mission,” Irvine said, “and [CyData president and T3Report founder] Brandon adapted his existing technology for the purpose.”
Other ASACP corporate sponsors include ClubJenna and VideoSecrets. Membership comes in three levels: corporate, gold and platinum, and allows each site to display the ASACP verified logo and link. Clicking the link tells surfers that the site has been vetted for compliance with ASACP’s Code of Ethics and best practices.
“I've heard of ASACP for the last few years,” Wicked President Steve Orenstein said. “We've seen such groups come and go in the past. However ASACP has demonstrated its commitment, longevity and that it can stay focused on its goal of protecting children. For these reasons, we are happy to help sponsor their cause and hope others will do the same.”
