Anti-porn group mobilized against .xxx.
If ICANN is supposed to include the thoughts of the greater internet community, it is certainly getting its wish.
Focus on the Family Some advocacy group — whether it be a religious right organization, parents organization, or someone else — has lit a fire under dozens of people to submit comments to ICANN regarding .xxx.
The comment period for the procedural issues around reconsidering ICM Registry’s .xxx application opened yesterday, and already there are over 50 comments. Subject lines include:
“Re: against porn web domains”
“PLEASE STOP EXPOSING OUR CHILDREN TO PORN!!”
“.XXX Comments READ THIS”
“No on pornography!! ”
“Are You Crazy”
From reading the comments, I don’t think most people understand the issue. Here’s one comment:
I am writing to encourage those who are involved in considering making a xxx domain to please think about the devastating affects of porn on families and individuals. I have seen porn and the addiction that some people develop to it destroy families and relationships. Creating an xxx domain will not help protect people, but will make a smooth path for even more hurt and destruction. Think about the hurt and the pain and then think about your place in possibly allowing more.
and
WE WISH THAT OUR CHILDREN WON BE EXPOSES TO SUCH NASTY HURTFUL THING ” PORNOGRAPHY’
and
Just want you to know, that pornography has caused lots of problems in our marriage. If that’s not your intention, please do not create more problem by trying to create this dot xxx thing.
May God bless you with wisdom in making such important decision.
Apparently God is getting involved with ICANN decisions these days. That should certainly speed things up.
OK, I get it. You’re opposed to porn. But creating a .xxx domain name isn’t going to result in more porn on the web. And your internet filters can easily block this porn — unlike what exists on other top level domain names.
Perhaps my favorite comment is the one that asks ICANN to “go with its initial gut feeling”, which the author says was to deny .xxx. Actually, its initial decision was to approve .xxx. Only later did it backtrack, which is why ICANN is in this mess with ICM to begin with.
Right now there is porn all over the web, in all Top Level Domains, but if there were a .xxx and the pron industry was relegated to that domain only then parenst (or anybody) could exlude the extention from their browser (in other words – private censorship). If these crazies think they are going to get porn COMPLETELY off the web, well like I said, they’re just crazy.
http://forum.icann.org/lists/icm-options-report/msg00126.html
http://noporn.com/
Andrew,
Well reported . The group is the same as before Focus on The Family who have initiated (again) an Action Alert to their large member base.
As you say , completely “off topic”.
ICANN obviously knew this would likely happen as it happened in 2006 and 2007 in the previous “public comment ” periods.
Andrew
There are also plenty of commments from those inside the adult industry that also are against the extension.
I think those comments were summed up best by Mike South a “big” porn producer (http://www.mikesouth.com/):
“””As I look through the comments here its obvious that some are a result of some religious organization compelling people to comment
Some are ICM Registry plants saying abide by the panel’s decision blah blah blah
And some are people in the adult industry (such as myself)
with the exception of the people at ICM Registry NOBODY wants this.
For once the religious right AND the pornographers agree .xxx is a horrible idea, no matter how much money ICM Registry has thrown at the idea.
I urge ICANN to lay this thing to rest once and for all vote NO on .xxx The only people who will not cheer you for it is ICMR.
Its nothing but a money grab.””
There you go Stuart
@ Michael – true. I think most porn people are concerned some law will be passed relegating them to .xxx.
Man, these groups are really going to be peeved when they learn about .gay, .sex, etc.
Andrew
I think under the guidebook if .xxx is approved there will not be a .sex, .porn or other variation, isn’t that how you read it?
Only one adult extension like there wouldn’t be a .car, .cars and .auto approved, only one
.gay is another matter.
@ Michael – there’s some provision for confusing domains, but I’m not sure if it extends that far. Perhaps Antony or Jothan can chime in.
It seems difficult to argue that all three of those names are the same.
At least .gay has the support of the gay community.
.xxx does not have the support of the adult community
That’s the difference
I don’t think we should have .xxx
But that won’t stop porn on the net.
Wasn’t porn the first thing to take advantage of the internet when it first appeared. I didn’t see any other businesses jumping on the Internet back then.
I used to warn against using hosted email accounts. But I don’t think that is a reasonable expectation anymore. More and more people are relying on the cloud, and Gmail is a major force behind hosted email. In this case, it was a paid Google account that was originally broken into, giving the thief access to other accounts.
As you state .gay would draw the ire of exactly the same groups. The same goes for .jew , .muslim and perhaps many other new proposed new gTLDs. The award of TLDs is a RFP and contractual matter and shouldn’t be subject to a “hecklers veto”. Meet the criteria contained in the RFP and enter into a standard ICANN contract. Thats what the Independent Review Panel declared after nearly two years, full , in person witness testimonies and thousands of pages of evidence.
“I used to warn against using hosted email accounts. But I don’t think that is a reasonable expectation anymore”
Andrew,
I think you meant to put your remarks above in your other posting:
“Warning: YH.com Domain Name Stolen”
@ tricolorro – you’re right, thanks
It is hard not to notice the fractured logic between:
“.xxx does not have the support of the adult industry”
and
“It is a money grab”
These two statements are at odds with each other.
Clearly if “NOBODY” in the adult industry wants .xxx, then nobody is going to register domains in it, and it will fail. Problem solved.
But you can’t have it both ways.