An Introduction to the Content Evaluation and Monitoring Association (EMA) Copyright (C) Content Evaluation Monitoring Association All rights reserved.

The Role of EMA EMA was established in April 2008 as an independent, self-regulatory organization in response to a recommendation by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications that third party organizations take the initiative in organizing systems for the sound development of mobile Internet sites, including social networking sites. Providers of mobile Internet services used by minors apply voluntarily to EMA to have the content of their sites examined and certified as harmless to children. Such certification means that the particular site will no longer be subject to filtering – i.e. be removed from blacklists. Copyright (C) Content Evaluation Monitoring Association All rights reserved.

Act on the Development of an Environment Providing Safe and Secure Internet Use for Young Persons (Act No. 79 of 2008) The Act on the Development of an Environment Providing Safe and Secure Internet Use for Young Persons was enacted in June 2008 and entered into force on 1 April 2009. The Act aims broadly to raise the level of Internet literacy among minors, minimize the chances of their being exposed to harmful online content, and support initiatives by the private sector to prevent access to such content by use of filtering. Section 17 of the Act requires that providers of mobile Internet services provide filtering of content harmful to young persons for phones used by minors. However, parents and guardians may consent to the removal of such filtering from their children’s phones – i.e. choose to opt out of such services. Copyright (C) Content Evaluation Monitoring Association All rights reserved.

Problems Associated with Blanket Filtering of Mobile Internet Sites Indiscriminate filtering of mobile Internet sites could impede the sound development of the Internet. The constitutional rights of users to freedom of speech and secrecy of communications could be infringed. Copyright (C) Content Evaluation Monitoring Association All rights reserved.

The Activities of EMA The formulation of standards taking into account the use of mobile Internet services by young persons The evaluation, certification, and monitoring of the operations of mobile sites The improvement of filtering for the purposes of the protection and healthy nurturing of young persons Educational activities to raise levels of ICT (information and communication technologies) literacy Copyright (C) Content Evaluation Monitoring Association All rights reserved.

Organizational Structure EMA General Meeting Full members Supporting members The Board of Directors, Standards Drafting Committee, and Evaluation and Monitoring Committee function independently of one another. Secretariat Board of Directors Standards Drafting Committee Evaluation and Monitoring Committee Educational Programs Committee Category Standards Working Group Evaluation and Monitoring Office Illegal Content Committee Advertising Standards Working Group Consideration of draft standards Sound Community Working Group Operations Committee Expressions Standards Working Group New Technologies Committee Opinions and advice Opinions and advice Opinions and advice Copyright (C) Content Evaluation Monitoring Association All rights reserved. Advisory Council

Categories of Restricted Access When evaluating mobile sites, EMA currently restricts minors’ access to a number of categories of content, including the following: Communication – web chat, bulletin boards, IT-related bulletin boards Gambling (excluding lotteries) The occult Adult interests – leisure magazines; “cosplay” (costume play); consumption of alcohol; information about alcoholic products; pictures of swimwear, underwear, or fetishes; descriptions of sex-related topics; smoking Unlawful activity (e.g. drug abuse and crimes such as theft, murder, rape and prostitution) Extreme speech (e.g. defamatory or inflammatory speech and inducements to commit suicide, run away from home, or engage in terrorist activity) Adult sites Dating Grotesque content Subjects such as homosexuality, religion, and politics are acceptable. Copyright (C) Content Evaluation Monitoring Association All rights reserved.

Application to Smartphones and Other Devices EMA’s certification system now applies to entire domains or sub-domains regardless of whether such content is accessed by mobile phone, smartphone, tablet PC, television set, portable game console, or other device. Copyright (C) Content Evaluation Monitoring Association All rights reserved.

Some Final Remarks Despite the fact that EMA’s system of assessment and certification of mobile Internet sites is still in its infancy, it has already made a great contribution to the sound development of social networking sites and led to a significant decrease in the number of child victims of crimes perpetrated through them. In the future, we at EMA will continue to strive to address the many challenges presented by the constant developments in technology and society in order to ensure that the children of Japan have the appropriate levels of access and Internet literacy to enjoy the benefits of this medium safely. Copyright (C) Content Evaluation Monitoring Association All rights reserved.

Copyright (C) Content Evaluation Monitoring Association All rights reserved.