Bye Bye XXX Domain

Slashdot It! There will be no new .xxx suffix to designate adult-themed Internet sites, ruled ICANN, the organization responsible for oversight of domain names. Although this marks the third time ICANN has rejected a .xxx proposal, its proponents are not likely to drop the issue. A court battle may lie ahead. ICM Registry first proposed a .xxx domain for adult content in 2000. The effort has failed repeatedly, in part due to the opposition of powerful political forces, but also because of some practical considerations. How ICANN would monitor content if the domain name were approved was one such sticking point.

Ongoing Slog

ICM Registry is unlikely to give up, though, and could well press the matter in court, according to statements its executives have made in the press.

Policing content is against ICANN's mandate, and that was the chief rationale the board offered for its decision, he told TechNewsWorld.

"Realistically, though, I think it was political pressure related to the adult content," Nemer said. "Basically, a .xxx domain name would set up a red light district online, which is something a lot of people wouldn't like."

However, Fisher noted, there are some positives to a .xxx domain beyond the fees a registry would collect -- namely better filtering techniques for software to protect children against pornography online.

Different Sensibilities

ICANN's reasoning makes sense from a freedom-of-speech perspective, Minneapolis attorney Andrew Miller told TechNewsWorld.

How Much for CatholicGirls.xxx?

One implication of a .xxx domain that some may have overlooked would be the likely proliferation of brand names co-opted for pornographic use.

Creating a .xxx domain without the ability to control it would create more problems than it would solve, according to Frederick Felman, CMO of MarkMonitor, a firm that represents brand holders.

It would create an atmosphere in which large brand holders -- or an institution such as a local Catholic girls school, for example -- might feel compelled to purchase their own .xxx domains "because they don't want their own good name associated with pornography," he said.