Even though it is not posted to the ICANN website yet, it is unlikely that the Wall Street Journal would have published this if it weren't true. I am still trying to absorb this as fact. Wow.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1147..._whats_news_us
Internet Regulator Rejects Dot-XXX
Domain for Adult Content
By CHRISTOPHER RHOADS
May 10, 2006 6:54 p.m.
The board of the Internet body that governs Internet domain names and other technical matters rejected on Wednesday evening a controversial proposal to create a domain name for the adult entertainment industry, according to people familiar with the matter.
The company behind the idea, called ICM Registry Inc., had proposed the new domain name suffix, dot-xxx, as a way to protect children from online pornography by making it easier to filter adult content. The company also figured to make millions of dollars from fees generated from Web sites registering under the domain suffix.
The matter exploded into a global debate over whether such a domain name suffix would address concerns about online pornography, and beyond that, over the role of the U.S. government in managing the Internet.
The Internet body that makes decisions about the domain name system, called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or Icann, operates under a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Department of Commerce. Last August, the department wrote to the Icann board about emails and letters it had received opposing the idea, expressing concerns about the effect of pornography on children and family.
The move attracted the ire of other countries that saw it as evidence of the U.S.'s influence over the Internet. The European Union, South Africa and Iran, among other countries, have argued that the Internet is a global resource and no one country should have more control over it than others.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1147..._whats_news_us
Internet Regulator Rejects Dot-XXX
Domain for Adult Content
By CHRISTOPHER RHOADS
May 10, 2006 6:54 p.m.
The board of the Internet body that governs Internet domain names and other technical matters rejected on Wednesday evening a controversial proposal to create a domain name for the adult entertainment industry, according to people familiar with the matter.
The company behind the idea, called ICM Registry Inc., had proposed the new domain name suffix, dot-xxx, as a way to protect children from online pornography by making it easier to filter adult content. The company also figured to make millions of dollars from fees generated from Web sites registering under the domain suffix.
The matter exploded into a global debate over whether such a domain name suffix would address concerns about online pornography, and beyond that, over the role of the U.S. government in managing the Internet.
The Internet body that makes decisions about the domain name system, called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or Icann, operates under a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Department of Commerce. Last August, the department wrote to the Icann board about emails and letters it had received opposing the idea, expressing concerns about the effect of pornography on children and family.
The move attracted the ire of other countries that saw it as evidence of the U.S.'s influence over the Internet. The European Union, South Africa and Iran, among other countries, have argued that the Internet is a global resource and no one country should have more control over it than others.
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