The ICANN Board is to meet on 28 October 2010 to address, among other issues, ithe launch of a specialized “adult” domain zone .XXX. Three years ago, the discussion on the issue was ceased, however debates around domain .XXX were resumed in March 2010. The ICANN 38th meeting in Brussels in July 2010 failed to take the final decision on launching this domain (we mentioned this fact in our News). Prior to approval of the application for sponsoring domain .XXX the ICANN will have to discuss it with the GAC.
Domain .XXX has a long record behind it. It started yet in 2000 when the ICM corporation submitted to the ICANN an application for delegation of domain .XXX (domain for sites with erotic content). At the time, the application was turned down, but the story had a continuation in 2004-2007 when the American congressmen strongly opposed introduction of domain .XXX.
And although the ICM continues remaining the most likely candidate for the administration of the new domain and with enviable doggedness promotes the idea of its launch, bureaucrats from different countries once again oppose this move. For example, in a run-up to a regular discussion of the domain’s future, the ICANN received a letter from Mr. Stephen Conroy, the Australian Minister of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, who expressed his staunch opposition to the launch of domain .XXX by asserting that it “doesn’t meet interests of the general public.”
Quite notably, recent surveys by the CNN produced results which are opposite to the bureaucrats’ view: 240 thousand survey respondents, or 83%, unequivocally voted in favor of the domain vis-à-vis 17% of those against it. This means that most Internet users favor the launch of a specialized domain to become home to “adults’ sites”.
Conservative red-tapery, as well as representatives of porno industry are against domain .XXX. Porno rustlers are afraid of loosing their profits, because a specialized domain for sites with erotic content forms a serious barrier to untamed distribution of explicit products in the Internet and enables users to filter unsuitable content without difficulty.
