Amsterdam rejoices: ICANN says no to Internet red light district
Directors of the organization that helps manage Internet names rejected ``.xxx'' as a suffix for adults-only Web sites.The domain name was turned down by a vote of 9-to-5, said the Internet Corp. for Assigned Names and Numbers, known as Icann. Directors of the Marina del Rey, California-based organization, led by Vinton Cerf, said in a statement yesterday that details on the decision will be provided later this week.
But Ars Technica has some details:
After the second .xxx proposal was approved in 2005, the Family Research Council (FRC) mobilized its forces in an all-out crusade. Claiming that the creation of a .xxx TLD would allow pornographers to "expand their evil empires on the Internet," the FRC urged its supporters to express opposition to the proposal. The Department of Commerce alone received nearly 6,000 letters expressing concern on the subject......Members of ICANN's board of directors were concerned that the creation of a .xxx TLD would make ICANN responsible for enforcing laws and regulations relating to Internet pornography.... The adult entertainment industry doesn't want it, concerned parents don't like it, and ICANN doesn't want the hassle or responsibilities. It looks as though the only organizations that expressed support for .xxx where the domain registrars that stood to profit from domain sales.