.XXX Domain Name Defeated
Sat Mar 31, 2007 5:16PM EDT
See Comments (8)
Today, ICANN, the not-for-profit organization created to oversee Internet addresses and domain naming conventions, voted against a proposed agreement for the creation of a .XXX top level domain name. The .XXX domain name would have been made available to creators of adult materials.
This the third time that a proposal to develop a .XXX domain name has been voted down. Those in favor of the .XXX name believe it's a way to help consumers easily identify adult material, whether they are seeking it or attempting to stay away from it. Parents with content filters would be able to block .XXX access. Those who opposed the proposal felt that it would open up a can of worms that would ultimately force ICANN to arbitrate content, making decisions about what is "adult material" and what is not.
Those who've followed the debates over the years about this controversial subject know that there's no easy answer. ICANN is a multinational organization, and pornography, by definition, is subject to local community standards. There's been talk of creating what is, in effect, a reverse of the .XXX domain name, a .KIDS domain that would house safe content. But, web site creators worry about the liability of creating a site that would promise a safe haven for children.
So, on one hand you've got ICANN, justifiably afraid to commit to managing the murky waters of who gets to use .XXX. On the other hand, you've got web site creators afraid to use .KIDS in the event that they would be liable should something "unsafe" happen in that domain.
Fear seems to be the only commonality. The pragmatist in me would prefer either solution to neither solution, but of the two, .XXX seems to be the better choice. The web sites that have adult content, for the most part, know who they are and know who their customers are. Those who want to view adult materials will be able to find it. For parents and anyone else who prefer not to stumble upon adult sites, .XXX would be easy to identify and block.
We label and rate things in order to let people make informed personal decisions. Our food is labeled. Our movies are labeled. Our shampoos and cosmetics are labeled. Are some labels debatable as to their accuracy? You bet. Some sites would not register for voluntary .XXX domain; some might register even though they didn't really belong, but on the whole the system works a lot better than no system at all.
I'm disappointed that ICANN punted on this one. Between ICANN's decision and the U.S. federal court's recent ruling on COPA, parents are getting the message that protecting their families will be entirely left up to them and filtering software. And frankly, I think that parents need, and deserve, a bit more help.
What about you? Would you want to see a .XXX domain in cyberspace?
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2 Posted by kendall_chong on Mon Apr 2, 2007 11:44AM EDT Report Abuse
With respect to the *.xxx domain name, I think it would be a good idea since then it would be easier to limit access and/or identifiy "adult" content on the internet. While there is always the concern on what is and what is not "adult", they can always put some sort of definintion on what is considered; such as exposure of "This" and/or "That". Of course there are always going to be those that are going to test those limits, but it is better than no standards at all. Just don't ask me to be the one that has to process the domain changes.
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3 Posted by darwincollins on Wed Apr 4, 2007 1:58AM EDT Report Abuse
ICANN thinks it better to do nothing than something. Are they busy artitrating the difference between a .com and .net now?
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4 Posted by philo.pharynx@sbcglobal.net on Wed Apr 4, 2007 10:17AM EDT Report Abuse
ICANN doesn't need to be a content administrator. Anyone buying a .XXX domain knows that a big slice of the market is going to block them. Therefore, very few people will put non-adult sites on them. I think ICANN knows this and they are succumbing to the pressure of the religious right who beleive this will expand porn. Given the number of porn sites out there now, there's little you can do to stop this. And personally I think the best we can do is work to prevent minors and people who aren't interested from seeing porn.
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5 Posted by ytech_robinraskin on Wed Apr 4, 2007 10:44AM EDT Report Abuse
Enjoyed your comments. There's one idea that's been batted around that I think has merit. The idea is that porn sites would be granted some freedom from prosecution for voluntarily listing themselves as a .XXX. The idea would be to enforce the FTC ruling about advertising a website's intent honestly. So, .xxx sites that voluntarily labelled themselves for what they are might be less subject to fines from mislabelling. I think it's a notion worth exploring.
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1 Posted by zwomann on Sun Apr 1, 2007 11:42AM EDT Report Abuse
I am dissappointed also - it would not have been perfect, but it is better than how it is now. I have two younger kids and I worry A LOT when my daughter is on researching for reports. Especially when when doing an image search of Brazil and some Brazilian topless woman comes up. At least it was only topless!