ICANN rejects ICM Registry's proposal for '.xxx' domain

Internet Business News, May 11, 2006

INTERNET BUSINESS NEWS-(C)1995-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

Plans by ICM Registry to create a '.xxx' domain, to enable Internet users to more easily find or avoid pornography websites, have been rejected by Internet regulator ICANN.

ICM Registry, the company that proposed the domain and intended to run it, said the '.xxx' suffix would have enabled online pornography to be filtered more easily. ICANN stated that its decision to reject the proposal was not a political one.

Opponents claimed that the voluntary nature of the '.xxx' domain would mean there would be no guarantee that material would move to the new domain. Some said that it would give the appearance of legitimising pornography, while others said it would result in more state control of the industry.

The '.xxx' domain proposal was criticised by US conservative religious groups such as the Family Research Council, and individuals such as former ICANN board member Karl Auerbach. The decision was delayed a number of times, both in August 2005, when the US Department of Commerce expressed concerns about the '.xxx' domain, and again in December.

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