Friday, April 6, 2007

XXX Top Level Domain Rejected

Last week ICM Registry of Jupiter, Fla. was rejected by ICANN is its request to establish a .xxx (dot triple X) top-level Internet domain. This is not ICM’s first rejection having the same results on a similar request made six years ago. According to the ICM website:

The .xxx Top Level Domain (TLD) has been proposed for responsible members of the online adult entertainment industry and those that supply products and/or services to it (the Online Adult Community). Only Members of the Community will be eligible to register .xxx domains that resolve (that is a name that Internet users can type in and have their computer display a Web site). ICM Regis-try (ICM) will offer individuals and entities that are not Members of the Community, an opportunity to register non-resolving domains if such registrants are concerned about potentially abusive registration.

The proposal is to place adult content in it’s own section of the Internet. It sounds like a good idea at first – for example - it would be simple to block anything with a triple-x extension from your children.

ICANN controls the domain name servers that resolve registered names to IP addresses for applications like web browsers and without ICANN approval the triple x domain will not happen.

The opposition has come from a number of sides with many not wanting to create (what we used to call in Boston) a “combat zone” on the web.

Several organizations were concerned about having to register their non-pornographic sites to protect themselves. Imagine www.microsoft.xxx or even www.nctt.xxx!

Others expressed concerns about the definition of what constitutes a triple-x rating. For example, a triple-x rating in the United States may be different from a triple-x rating in China.


References:
ICM Registry: http://www.icmregistry.com/

LA Times: Request for dot-xxx adult domain is rejected

Technology News: Internet: ICANN Axes .XXX Domain



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