United Press International says that the US Commerce
Department has raised objections to the domain, expressing concerns
about the mechanisms for running the domain put forward by the
domain’s proposed operator, ICM Registry. The Dominion Post first
reported the story.
ICANN first considered and refused an application for the .xxx
suffix five years ago. But in 2004 a non-profit entity called the
International Foundation for Online Responsibility (IFFOR)
submitted another application for the domain.
The group intends the .xxx domain, which would be run by ICM
Registry, to cater for responsible adult-orientated websites. It
hopes the domain will help to protect children from exposure to
internet porn while also having a positive impact on adult
entertainment through voluntary efforts of the industry.
ICANN gave preliminary approval for the adults-only label in
June 2005, but immediately faced a storm of criticism. Members of
ICANN’s Government Advisory Committee advised the ICANN Board by
letter that there was a “strong sense of discomfort” about the
proposed domain, and that some governments were intending to
contact ICANN directly about their concerns.
Final approval was expected in August but it has not been
forthcoming. In December, ICANN announced that it had indefinitely
delayed a decision on the domain. But according to reports,
supporters of the domain had hoped that the issue would be
discussed at the ongoing ICANN meeting in Wellington.
Separately, US Democratic Senators Mark Pryor and Max Baucus
introduced legislation earlier this month to require websites with
adult content to have a .xxx domain that only adults can
access.
The legislation, the Cyber Safety for Kids Act, would require
the Secretary of Commerce to negotiate with ICANN to develop a
special domain name for websites containing adult content.
Under the proposed Act, companies that fail to register with the
new domain within six months would be subject to civil
penalties.
“By corralling pornography in its own domain, our bill provides
parents with the ability to create a ‘do not enter zone’ for their
kids,” said Pryor at the time.
