NEWS The Bush administration is objecting to the creation of a dot-xxx domain, saying it has concerns about a virtual red-light district reserved exclusively for internet pornography.
Michael Gallagher, assistant secretary at the Commerce Department, has asked for a hold to be placed on the contract to run the new top-level domain until the dot-xxx suffix can receive further scrutiny. The domain was scheduled to receive final approval on Tuesday.
In a letter that was made public on Monday, Gallagher said: "The Department of Commerce has received nearly 6,000 letters and emails from individuals expressing concern about the impact of pornography on families and children."
The sudden high-level interest in what has historically been an obscure process has placed the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) in an uncomfortable position. Icann approved the concept of a dot-xxx domain in June and approval of ICM Registry's contract to run the suffix was expected this week.
Other governments have also been applying pressure to Icann in a last-minute bid to head off dot-xxx. A letter from Icann's government advisory group sent on Friday asks for a halt to "allow time for additional governmental and public policy concerns to be expressed before reaching a final decision".
ICM Registry - the for-profit company in Florida that plans to operate the dot-xxx registry - has told Icann it would agree to a month's delay in the approval process to permit it to "address the concerns" raised by the Bush administration and other governments.
Jason Hendeles, founder of ICM Registry, said in a telephone interview on Monday: "We're focusing our attention on the Department of Commerce and ensuring that we're building this as a voluntary [top-level domain] for responsible companies."
Hendeles said that although the dot-xxx application is "already approved", his company is willing to try to allay fears about legitimising pornography. "The industry has existed for a long time and is growing internationally and is doing what it can to fight child porn and to be a responsible industry," he said. "This is an opportunity for all the different voices to come together."
The multinational pressure, unprecedented in Icann's seven-year history, places the organisation in a delicate position. If it backs down, Icann could be perceived as bowing to political interference - but if not, it could alienate government officials just as the United Nations is becoming more interested in taking over key internet functions.
Icann has not said what will happen next. John Jeffrey, Icann's general counsel, said in an email that "all of this correspondence and any other correspondence received will be given to the board for their consideration relating to this matter".
Declan McCullagh writes for CNET News.com
Comments
There are 6 comments. Join the discussion
1. Richard Poole
I think its a great idea to give pornography its own TLD. It will prevent (or rather reduce) new pornographic website popping up in the general .com .co.uk domains.
If only they could make it illegal to have pornography on any other TLD but .xxx it would make security alot easier by preventing users from viewing any .xxx domains. And im sure alot of hosting companies would be happy wo see this domain name as they could simply not offer it to clients.
Facing facts, pornography will always be on the net, legitamising it makes sense. On the subject of child pornography, well this is illegal anywhere, on any TLD, and I personally dont think they owners of such websites would really mind getting their domain name in .com or .xxx.
2. anonymous
Richard,
Your comments are right on... but only if adult material were required to be placed there and that was not the case.
In fact, the promoters of the .xxx domain had a $250k (not including the adult industry's own substantial monies) war chest to fight any attempts to require the location of adult sites on the .xxx domain.
So, Bush did the right thing by having this held up. If this would have passed unchecked, the proverbial wolves would have been in charge of the hen house and that is not the right solution.
3. Geoffrey Darnton
...what is pornography? ... who defines it? ... there are massive cultural differences in the acceptability of various images. Everyone understands the problems with non-consensual imagery or child abuse, ... but consenting adults? What a wonderful idea to have a separate domain for contentious material - then people can simply decide not to look and it becomes very easy to filter ... oh, and how about a .vio for violent material, or .mar for market extremist material for those who think it is ok to allow market forces to prevail and kill people - then we can have easier choices about what propaganda we are subjected to .... what do people think is the safest contentious material - (1) nudity and sex; (2) gratuitous violence; (3) mass death by market extremism?
4. Peter Risdon
Market extremism? Love it. Half a century ago, the liberal economist J K Galbriath pointed out (in The Affluent Society) that businessmen pay lip service to the market but actually hate the uncertainty that the free actions of informed consumers brings to their businesses. So they set up trusts, monopolies, issue false or misleading information (aka FUD in the computer industry) and generally do almost everything they can to hinder the workings of the market.
Then staring-eyed authoritarians come along and blame these attempts to undermine the market on the market itself. Now, based so far as I can see on just one widely copied and re-posted article, market extremism is the new rallying cry of these authoritarians. And now this, and so by inference the only system of running human economies that has ever worked, is being equated with pornography and violence.
Admiring nods from beyond the grave from Stalin's propogandists.
Back on topic, the need for a porn domain has long been obvious. Erotic content should then be restricted to it. Then we can make our choices freely as - despite the efforts of the "market extremist" merchants - still basically free individuals.
5. Keith Bennett
I would like to use the .xxx world to promote my company's extremely un-erotic product to the largest adult audience on the web. Is there any legislation planned to prevent this?
6. Milton Mueller
Help Save the Internet from Content Regulation and U.S. Political Interference.
Sign the petition below and forward it to as many people as you can!
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?netgov2