Pre-Reserve Your .XXX Domain Name Now!

Published on June 22, 2010 by QueenGossip   ·   1 Comment

While everyone involved in ICANN topics is gearing up  for the 38th ICANN meeting, the travelers are joined by the Free Speech Coalition’s (FSC, trade organization of the adult industry) Executive Director Diane Duke and FSC Board Vice President Tom Hyme. The two are attending the ICANN meeting to lobby against a potential approval of the .XXX sTLD by ICANN’s board.

“I am honored to be going to Brussels with Diane,” said Hymes, who traveled to Wellington in 2005 for the same purpose. “The fact that so much time has gone by has done nothing to diminish the dangers posed by dot XXX. Yes, it should never have been resurrected from the dead in the first place, but it was and now we need to be there, reminding the ICANN Board and staff at every turn that dot XXX has no industry support, and also that the last thing in the world they want to be is the ultimate arbiter of a policy-setting IFFOR (International Foundation for Online Responsibility). Believe me, that scenario would be hell on earth for ICANN.”

Diane had already spoken against the release of the .XXX sTLD at the 2007 ICANN meeting in Lisbon, Portugal, where the ICANN board rejected the application by ICM registry. ICM had then asked ICANN to have an independent review panel look over the decision. The review panel concluded that ICANN should not have rejected the application after first approving it. The decision was tabled again, but delayed at the 37th ICANN meeting in Nairobi, Kenya earlier this year in order to ask the public for additional comments.

Conservative oriented organizations have been speaking out against introducing a .XXX extension as well as the adult industry. However it would appear that it most likely will pass – don’t get caught with your hands still in your pockets – PRE-RESERVE your domain now!

Why The Issue For a .XXX Domain ?

The adult industry has been a substantial part of the Internet since its inception. However as the domain name system has sprawled out, it has become increasingly difficult to identify what individual websites offer without actually visiting them.

Despite a very large online market for adult entertainment, large sections of society do not wish to come into contact with its products and as such .xxx provides both willing consumers of adult entertainment and those who wish to avoid it with an easily identifiable mark – the end of the web address.

What’s more, the .xxx “registry” will be a professionally run outfit that will include Best Business Practices into the agreement that all registrants of .xxx domains will have to agree to before they can have a .xxx name. The result is greater confidence and certainty in .xxx domains by those who visit the domains.

For adult entertainment providers, identifying themselves as compliant with a comprehensive set of Best Business Practices can provide more predictable revenue streams, greater customer retention and fewer complaints as regulators and others will see adult entertainment providers take a proactive and responsible approach to their web presence.

For individuals or families wishing to avoid adult content, the machine-readable labels will allow easy and reliable filtering. No need to fiddle with keywords or expensive software.

In addition, the introduction of .xxx creates a credible, self-regulated forum for all stakeholders to discuss and actively respond to concerns about online adult entertainment.

As you can see from a number of surveys taken from a wide range of different organizations both within and outside the adult entertainment industry, our approach is favored by a majority of people.

Who runs .xxx?

ICM Registry is the company behind the .xxx registry. ICM Registry is a financially stable and completely independent entity with no affiliation, current or historic, with the adult entertainment industry. As a registry operator, ICM Registry will provide management, supporting infrastructure and back-end functionality.

The International Foundation for Online Responsibility (IFFOR) is the sponsoring organization. IFFOR is a non-profit entity that will serve as the policy-making body for the .xxx extension.

IFFOR is and will remain independent from ICM Registry and will have its own board of directors representing all stakeholders, including child safety representatives, members of the free speech community and adult entertainment industry leaders.

IFFOR’s mission includes contributing programs and tools to make a difference in the continuing battle against child pornography and establishing a forum for the online adult-entertainment community to communicate and proactively respond to the needs and concerns of the broader Internet community.

IFFOR will be funded primarily by $10 (USD) annually from every .xxx domain registered and will engage in various programs and activities, including:

• Promoting public awareness of technologies, programs, organizations and methods available to protect children online
• Enhancing development and proliferation of systems for labeling and identifying content
• Sponsoring approved child safety and child pornography reporting organizations
• Supporting free expression to allow Internet users’ right to choose the online content they desire

Here are a few of those polls:

Should there be a special Internet domain for pornographic sites?

Yes, a virtual red-light district would make it easier to keep kids away from porn. 61%

No, a “.xxx” domain would legitimize porn and do little to keep it away from kids. 17%

No, requiring certain sites to use a special Web domain would limit free speech. 16%

I’m not sure. 6.1%

Tags: ICANN, internet