Stage set for '.xxx' Internet addresses

Wednesday, June 1, 2005 Posted: 9:24 PM EDT (0124 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Internet's primary oversight body approved a plan Wednesday to create a virtual red-light district, setting the stage for pornographic Web sites to use new addresses ending in "xxx."

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers said it would begin negotiations with ICM Registry Inc., run by British businessman Stuart Lawley, to iron out technical issues and prices for the new Web addresses.

Adult-oriented sites, a $12 billion industry, probably could begin buying "xxx" addresses as early as fall or winter depending on ICM's plans, ICANN spokesman Kieran Baker said.

The new pornography suffix was among 10 under consideration by the regulatory group, which also recently approved addresses ending in "jobs" and "travel."

ICM contends the "xxx" Web addresses, which it plans to sell for $60 a year, will protect children from online smut if adult sites voluntarily adopt the suffix so filtering software used by families can more effectively block access to those sites.

The $60 price is roughly ten times higher than prices other companies charge for dot-com names.

"It will further help to protect kids," said John Morris, staff counsel at the Washington-based Center for Democracy and Technology. Morris predicted some adult sites will choose to buy "xxx" Web addresses but others will continue to use dot-com.

Saw this mentioned on another board, and responded with this....

Personally I am opposed to it. It smacks too much like the 1933 laws of Germany... isolate a group, mark them, then liquidate them... the first part is already being done by the pressure exerted on VISA and MC and by 2257... now comes the second part... the marking...

Sorry if I sound extreme, but it is not right to limit my choices simply because some can't control their kids or are too lazy to place proper program filters on their browser... it is just ludicrous in my mind that this industry is so willing to march to the... well you can figure out the rest...

Right now, with the extreme actions by the USA imagine this, all adult sites become xxx and Bush & Co then begin to exert pressure on G & Y & MSN who provide the bulk of targetted traffic to adult sites, and suddenly at the flick of a mouse click, all domains with the xxx domain cease to be listed... how are you pocket books gonna feel then? And laugh perhaps, but in all seriousness do you doubt that the current administration is beyond such tactics?

So for me, no way. I will not submit to 'selection' as it was called in the early '30's of Germany.

Just my opinion.

Ian

I am lazy so I did a cut n paste job, but in all seriousness it is how I feel, irrespective of being lazy.

Oops and i didnt see dzinerbear original one !

I just took a look over the 'rules' in place for the new .xxx tld and one of them says people who own a .xxx cant publish child porn on the domain name.

Um, hello, is anyone there? Childporn is illegal and any adult webmaster worth giving a shit about doesnt even promote that type of shit, given that its illegal now, how is the .xxx extension going to help?

Oh also, it seems that ASACP is a big supporter of the .xxx domain TLD for just this reason (not allowed to host cp on them) i just dont understand that at all myself, rather than saying 'we support .xxx' why not just say, childporn is illegal and whether someone owns a .xxx or a .com isnt going to make the slightest bit of difference whether they use the domain for CP purposes or not?

Regards,

Lee