
xxx marks the dot...
Published: 2 June 2005 08:55 BST
The non-profit organisation responsible for internet addresses has approved dot-xxx domains, a move that reverses the group's earlier position and heads off a potential political spat with conservative US politicians.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) said it's working with the ICM Registry to finalise remaining details, meaning the porn-friendly set of dot-xxx domains should be available by the end of the year. Other top-level domains still awaiting a decision from Icann are dot-asia, dot-mail, and dot-tel.
Stuart Lawley, chairman of the ICM Registry, could not be immediately reached for comment. In an interview last year, Lawley said that dot-xxx domain names would cost around $75 and come with no restrictions except that any sexually explicit content feature only adults. "Apart from child pornography, which is completely illegal, we're really not in the content-monitoring business," Lawley said.
ICM Registry plans to handle the technical aspects of running the master database of dot-xxx sex sites. A second, non-profit organisation called the International Foundation For Online Responsibility will be in charge of setting the rules for dot-xxx. It's intended to have a seven-person board of directors, including a child advocacy advocate, a free-expression aficionado and someone from the adult entertainment industry.
Icann's vote represents an abrupt turnabout from the group's earlier stance. In November 2000, the Icann staff objected to domains such as dot-kids and dot-xxx and rejected ICM Registry's first application.
Politicians quickly lambasted the decision. At a hearing a few months later, Rep Fred Upton demanded to know why Icann didn't approve dot-xxx "as a means of protecting our kids from the awful, awful filth, which is sometimes widespread on the internet". Sen Joseph Lieberman complained (click for PDF) to a federal commission that dot-xxx was necessary to force adult webmasters to "abide by the same standard as the proprietor of an X-rated movie theatre".
Even though ICM Registry's approach is designed to be free-speech-friendly, the American Civil Liberties Union has expressed concerns about dot-xxx domains. One worry is that some nations may force sites dealing with sensitive topics such as homosexuality or birth control into the dot-xxx zone, where they can be easily blocked.
Declan McCullagh writes for CNET News.com
Great, at last some sense has prevailed.
As to...
Anonymous
Wow, about time.
Since I've been in IT (10 years)...
Anonymous
I think this is a great idea, for those who need t...
James P. Lockling
My client located on the South Coast is looking for a web developer with ASP.NET, C#, SQL SERVER 2005 with a .NET 3 (dot net 3) framework. This high ...
C#.Net Software Developer - Microsoft Gold Partner - London - 48k + Excellent benefits package C#.Net Developer (ASP.NET, .NET, C#, dot NET) Sutton, ...
ICM / IPCC, Blue Pumpkin, or IEX Total Workforce or experience with CRM system integration project (Siebel, Clarify, Peoplesoft, Chordiant, Blue ...
CIO Agenda 2008
The exclusive silicon.com CIO Agenda 2008 survey looks at the CIO's tech shopping list for the year, examines whether IT budgets are rising or falling and reveals what the pain points are for tech chiefs this year. Find out more in our latest special report.
Stories from the web...
Copyright ©1995-2008 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. Top of page
Howard Greenfield Tech Futures: The talkification of the web A software switch gives browsers a voice...
Natasha Lomas 'Green' technology can't save us from ourselves So much for the rhetoric...