Internet Domain Name Board Rejects .XXX Domain

Monisha Bansal | Staff Writer | Published: Apr 02, 2007

Internet Domain Name Board Rejects .XXX Domain

(CNSNews.com) - In their third rejection in seven years, the body charged with coordinating domain names on the Internet struck down the .xxx domain for pornographic websites.

"This decision was the result of very careful scrutiny and consideration of all the arguments," said Vint Cerf, chairman of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), in a statement on Friday. "That consideration has led a majority of the Board to believe that the proposal should be rejected."

Pro-family groups, which have long opposed the proposed domain, hailed the decision.

"This is a victory for the American public and our supporters who by the thousands contacted the Commerce Department and ICANN to voice opposition to a XXX domain," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council.

"Instead of relegating porn to a specific domain, the government would have actually been facilitating the adult industry's growth," he said. "In other words, the XXX would have established a virtual red light district, giving pornographers even more opportunities to flood our homes, libraries and communities with illegal, hardcore obscenity."

Daniel Weiss, a senior analyst for media and sexuality at Focus on the Family, added: "It's a strange notion to suggest that we can help kids by sanctioning, endorsing and proliferating the very material that threatens them."

"The XXX domain would have given false hope to an American public that wants illegal pornographers prosecuted, not rewarded with a cloak of legitimacy," said Perkins.

"Now is the time for pornographers to answer for their crimes, which violate the dignity of the women and men involved, destroy marital bonds and pollute the minds of child and adult consumers," he added.

But ICM Registry, the company that has been lobbying to create the domain and would have operated the registry of sites, lamented the decision.

"We are extremely disappointed by the Board's action today," said Stuart Lawley, president of ICM Registry. "It is not supportable for any of the reasons articulated by the Board, ignores the rules ICANN itself adopted for the [request for proposal] and makes a mockery of ICANN's bylaws prohibition of unjustifiable discriminatory treatment."

Lawley added that his organization will "pursue this matter energetically" to "protect the integrity of the ICANN process."

But Weiss said: "Against nearly universal opposition, ICM Registry has pursued this idea, and even today, it vows to fight on. The truth is that no one will benefit from this idea except the company proposing it.

"Let's call this notion what it really is -- a shameless attempt to make millions off the endangerment of children and families," he said.

As Cybercast News Service previously reported, ICANN approved the creation of the ".xxx" domain in June of 2005, but 11 months later, the organization voted against a contract with domain distributor ICM Registry, in part because of outcry from conservative family groups.

However, ICANN and ICM Registry worked to revise the terms of the original contract, adding policies aimed at prohibiting child pornography, requiring content labeling, prohibiting deceptive marketing and prohibiting unsolicited marketing.

As a result, ICANN reintroduced the controversial proposal last January and again began accepting public feedback on the revised contract. At the same time, conservatives relaunched a campaign to prevent its creation.

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Internet Domain Name Board Rejects .XXX Domain