Jury still out on porn's .xxx
2007-03-29 07:26
Lisbon - The back alleys of the internet may have a home of their own if the agency that lays downs the guidelines for how people navigate the web decide to give adult sites a domain of their own.
Policymakers, officials and the general public are making their opinions heard on the topic and the issues of access and freedom of speech at the Icann gathering in the Portuguese capital this week.
Some sort of resolution could come as early as Thursday, Icann chairperson Vinton Cerf told The Associated Press in an e-mail.
"I expect a formal communique from GAC (Governmental Advisory Committee) tomorrow that may address this question," Cerf said.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers - which has rejected similar proposals twice since 2000 - plans to vote on whether to approve the domain name for voluntary use by porn sites.
The decision ultimately could hinge on whether ".xxx" has the support of the adult-entertainment industry - and many porn sites have been strongly opposed.
Porn sites concerned
Porn sites are largely concerned that the domain name, while billed as voluntary, would make it easier for governments to oversee its use and push them out of reach to web users.
ICM Registry Inc, the company behind the proposal, has vowed to fight any government efforts to compel its use and cited preregistrations of some 76 000 names as evidence of support. Critics contend that many websites have reserved names simply to prevent someone else from taking them.
Religious groups worry that ".xxx" would legitimise and expand the number of adult sites, which more than a third of US internet users visit each month, according to comScore Media Metrix. The website measurement firm said four percent of all web traffic and two percent of all time spent web surfing involved an adult site.
Icann tabled and effectively rejected a similar proposal in 2000 out of fear the ".xxx" domain would force the body into content regulation.
ICM resubmitted its proposal in 2004, this time structuring it with a policy-setting organisation to free Icann of that task. But many board members worried that the language of the proposed contract was vague and could kick the task back to Icann. The board rejected the 2004 proposal in May 2006.
Icann revived the issue in January after ICM agreed to hire independent organisations to monitor porn sites' compliance with the new rules, which would be developed by a separate body called the International Foundation for Online Responsibility.
ICM revised it again a month later to clarify Icann's enforcement abilities and to underscore the independence of the policy-making body.
Icann already has discussed the proposal during three, closed-door teleconference meetings this year. It did so again on Wednesday.
On the net:
www.icann.org
- AP