The Internet's "Red Light District"

[MrBishop]

NEW YORK -- Acknowledging "unprecedented" opposition, the U.S. government has asked the Internet's key oversight agency to delay approval of a new ".xxx" domain name designed as a virtual red-light district.

Michael D. Gallagher, assistant secretary for communications and information at the Commerce Department, stopped short of urging its rejection, but he called on the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to "ensure the best interests of the Internet community as a whole are fully considered."

The department received nearly 6,000 letters and e-mails expressing concerns about the impact of pornography on families and children and objecting to setting aside a domain suffix for it, he said.

"The volume of correspondence opposed to creation of a .xxx TLD (domain name) is unprecedented," Gallagher wrote to Vinton Cerf, ICANN's chairman.

Gallagher said ICANN should take more time to evaluate those concerns.

Approval of the domain name had been expected as early as Tuesday, five years after it was first proposed and two months after ICANN gave it a tentative OK. Gallagher's letter was sent last week and made public Monday.

The chairman of ICANN's Government Advisory Committee, Mohd Sharil Tarmizi, also wrote ICANN officials last week urging delay and expressing "a strong sense of discomfort" among many countries, which he did not name.

Gallagher's comments, however, carry greater weight because his agency has veto power over ICANN decisions given the U.S. government's role in funding early developing of the Internet and selecting ICANN in 1998 to oversee domain name administration.

ICANN officials had no immediate comment.

Red Light linky

Personally, I think that this .xxx idea is excellent with one notable exception. The internet is basically 60%+ porn, and the idea that all the domain names could easily be transfered to a .xxx suffix is almost laugheable.
What of the sub-domains? People who post porn under a geocities subdomain? Changing all Geocites domain names to end in .xxx because of a few hidden web-sites...I don't think so!

Who would govern the list of who does and doesn't have to change their domain?

Seems like a huge money trap to me. Great idea...poor execution.

 

[Luis G]

Re: The Internet's "Read Light District"

The .xxx domain would not succeed by converting all existing sites to that domain, however, newer porn sites should be obliged to get a .xxx

It would be easier to block certain content from children, I don't see these people's point in trying to forbid the .xxx

 

[Professur]

Re: The Internet's "Read Light District"

It's more a matter of not making it accepted. Allowing the .XXX domain would be elevating porn on the internet the same way as putting porn mags on the same rack (upper shelf) as comic books elevated it from when it was kept behind the counter.

Similarly, the violence of UFC moving from pay-per-view to uncensored cable.

 

[A.B.Normal]

The xxx would only be "available" to pornsters and not "mandatory",the same way .ca are used for Canadian sites ,but Canadian sites can also have .com/.org/.net etc....This will only give porn more sites available for them and not restrict what addresses they can use,so there will be in all likelyhood more porn or duplicate the ones that currently exist.

 

[MrBishop]

It'd also help filter things out for the kidlets, no?

Prof- the porn on the internet doesn't need elevation. It's already more viewed than any other part of the internet. Segregation is what it needs. we can't get rid of it, any more than we can get rid of prostitutes. This is a step in seperating the two... kinda like putting porn mags on the top shelf of a magazine rack instead of at eye level to kiddies (where they used to be).

 

[SouthernN'Proud]

And a kid can't bend his neck upward and see them there?

Fact: the internet has porn.

Fact: it probably always will.

Fact: kids will find it.

If something can be developed to assist parents in at least filtering some of it out, then I say go for it. Internet porn does not bother me personally, but I do not want the 12.45 year old viewing it. In time, she will likely find it by one intent or another. It will be dealt with at that time. IMO, some of the chat rooms are potentially more dangerous for kids to be playing in. I know for a fact that pervs lurk there...I've supervised some of them after conviction. .xxx domain names are a surefire tipoff to any parent with a functional brain cell still firing. What harm does it do to the industry?

I say go for it.

 

[MrBishop]

And a kid can't bend his neck upward and see them there?

Over here, they also put a cardboard over the main-body of the magazine, so all you see is the name of it. If you're tall enough to reach, you can pick out the mag and have a look-see. For the kidlets...it's meant to be an 'out of sight, out of mind' kind of thinking.

Beats the hell out of putting them at knee level, right next to the reader's digest and good housekeeping mags

 

[A.B.Normal]

It'd also help filter things out for the kidlets, no?

No,as I already said the same porn will still exist with their .com addresses,so if anything its gonna confuse things as some parents may be like you and assume if it doesn't have a .xxx its gonna be a safe site.

 

[Gato_Solo]

No,as I already said the same porn will still exist with their .com addresses,so if anything its gonna confuse things as some parents may be like you and assume if it doesn't have a .xxx its gonna be a safe site.

There's a difference between 'help' and 'eliminate'. It's supposed to provide an aid parents who are too lazy to watch their kids internet surfing. Think of it as a pre-filter.

 

[A.B.Normal]

but thats not gonna help because the same sites are also gonna exist under .com or the originating countries .ca/.hu etc.....The only way it'll be any help is if its mandatory for porn to have a .xxx ,but that is simply too difficult to police as one countries porn is another countries "Calvin Klein " ad.In fact it'l probably make it easier for kids to access porn ,all they'll have to do is type "www.brittanyspears.xxx" and avoid having to use google and even if the parents have a filter for .xxx doesn't maen every computer they use will.Think of it as trying to locate an adult magazine in a grocery store as opposed to what they'd have access to by visiting an "Adult Store",the grocery store is still gonna carry the adult magazines,but the kids will just bypass them and visit the adult store.

 

[Gato_Solo]

but thats not gonna help because the same sites are also gonna exist under .com or the originating countries .ca/.hu etc.....The only way it'll be any help is if its mandatory for porn to have a .xxx ,but that is simply too difficult to police as one countries porn is another countries "Calvin Klein " ad.

Too bad you missed the point. Pornography is the same just about everywhere I've been...and I've been quite a few places. The only exceptions to the rule were the Islamic countries I've been to in the Middle East. You're arguing the lowest common denominator, yet again, in order to prop up a view that is based upon ignorance. You're not thinking this through.

 

[Professur]

Too bad you missed the point. Pornography is the same just about everywhere I've been...and I've been quite a few places. The only exceptions to the rule were the Islamic countries I've been to in the Middle East. You're arguing the lowest common denominator, yet again, in order to prop up a view that is based upon ignorance. You're not thinking this through.

I beg to differ. I can think of several countries who allow full nude images of preteens. Bestiality. BSDM. Several others where sodomy, fisting and even ejaculation is not permitted. Last time I checked, in your own beloved US, you can shove 8 fingers into a woman (on video), but if that thumb slips in, it's euro market only.

edit: case in point

 

[Luis G]

In fact it'l probably make it easier for kids to access porn ,all they'll have to do is type "www.brittanyspears.xxx" and avoid having to use google

And what disadvantage have the use of .xxx domain? Is not like using google is rocket science. And even if they couldn't use google they could always come up with something like lesbians dot com and be done with it. Your store analogy doesn't work either, the internet is a whole adult store, the .xxx domain only pretends to locate porn on a certain area of that store.

As for the duplicate sites, you're probably right, but what about new sites? I know for a fact that you can not get any domain you want over here. For example, in order to get a .org.mx domain you need to be a non-profit organization. The same rules can be applied to restrict new porn sites to use .xxx only.

 

[PT]

I think it's a great idea, but they need to go farther with it. Any porn has to have the xxx in it somewhere. That would make filtering it really easy, just block any address with xxx in it. However, if they are still going to allow them to use whatever adress they want, it really does no good except to give them a whole new range of addys to use, which I'm not sure they really need.

 

[A.B.Normal]

And what disadvantage have the use of .xxx domain? Is not like using google is rocket science. And even if they couldn't use google they could always come up with something like lesbians dot com and be done with it. Your store analogy doesn't work either, the internet is a whole adult store, the .xxx domain only pretends to locate porn on a certain area of that store.

Exactly ,there is no point in having .xxx ,then is there.

As for the duplicate sites, you're probably right, but what about new sites? I know for a fact that you can not get any domain you want over here. For example, in order to get a .org.mx domain you need to be a non-profit organization. The same rules can be applied to restrict new porn sites to use .xxx only.

All that means is you'd need to have porn on your site to get a .xxx ,it does not mean if your site has porn it gets a .xxx.as any non-profit can get a .com / .ca/,hu etc... as well as a .org

I think it's a great idea, but they need to go farther with it. Any porn has to have the xxx in it somewhere. That would make filtering it really easy, just block any address with xxx in it. However, if they are still going to allow them to use whatever adress they want, it really does no good except to give them a whole new range of addys to use, which I'm not sure they really need.

So do we count nipplage as porn ,or intercourse or maybe as Prof suggested "the rule of thumb".Every country is gonna have a different idea as to what is and what isn't porn .If you've ever seen some of the TV commercials/shows from Europe/latin America and try to compare them to what is allowed in the US is a good example.IMO

 

[Luis G]

Exactly ,there is no point in having .xxx ,then is there.

There is, for instance, universities would block that domain and be certain that they blocked a great deal of sites, cheap and fast solution.

All that means is you'd need to have porn on your site to get a .xxx ,it does not mean if your site has porn it gets a .xxx.as any non-profit can get a .com / .ca/,hu etc... as well as a .org

It means that if the site has porn it MUST have a .xxx domain. Or likewise, forbid the rest of the domains to porn sites, just like "profit organizations" can not register a .org domain.

 

[PT]

Enforcement is the biggest issue at hand here. First a definition of Porn must be made. Who decides? Me? Ok, nipplage is ok, fur or dick is porn. Bare asses are ok, as long as you can't make out lips or puckers. I think that would stand over most of the world. Now, who enforces it? Not really sure, but I will say this much.

I could do that job.

 

[A.B.Normal]

Too bad you missed the point. Pornography is the same just about everywhere I've been...and I've been quite a few places. The only exceptions to the rule were the Islamic countries I've been to in the Middle East. You're arguing the lowest common denominator, yet again, in order to prop up a view that is based upon ignorance. You're not thinking this through.

But the .xxx serves absofuckinglutely no use as a filter ,sure they can keep their kids from getting it from simply adding any .xxx sites ,but since porn doesn't require a .xxx designation its useless.Using any currently available filter software and using "XXX" as a filter term will restrict unsupervised kiddies much more than simply .xxx domains will. IMO

So the only thing .xxx domains does is gives pornographers more webspace to upload to rather than restrict anyones access.

There's a difference between 'help' and 'eliminate'. It's supposed to provide an aid parents who are too lazy to watch their kids internet surfing. Think of it as a pre-filter.

And show me anywhere where it says the .xxx will be a tool to limit access,the US government is making the same exact argument as I am.

 

[MrBishop]

It also doesn't address sub-domains. If a porn site is using a geocities space, does geocities have to now use .xxx ?

*bad example because geocities is pretty anal about porn on their sites, but hopefully you get the idea.*

 

[Gato_Solo]

I beg to differ. I can think of several countries who allow full nude images of preteens. Bestiality. BSDM. Several others where sodomy, fisting and even ejaculation is not permitted. Last time I checked, in your own beloved US, you can shove 8 fingers into a woman (on video), but if that thumb slips in, it's euro market only.

edit: case in point

Hint...I said most, and you said several. Keep going, though, if it makes you feel better.