Sex Domain .xxx Approved by Regulators

ICANN, the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers approved the .xxx domain. Now pornographic websites will now have a special suffix after. ICANN, which is responsible for overseeing the creation and distribution of web addresses, finally gave the go-ahead for the special .xxx domain name at a meeting in Brussels.

It has in recent years repeatedly rejected a request by U.S. company ICM Registry Inc. to sign off on the .xxx domain. But members of ICANN's board have argued that in order to maintain neutrality in dealing with domain name assignations, it should create .xxx and allow websites with sexually explicit content to start using the suffix on a voluntary basis. The adult entertainment industry has long campaigned in favour of a special .xxx suffix, similar to the .com and .co.uk domain names used by other companies. Critics believe the so-called “sex.com” domain would create the internet equivalent of a red light district, while supporters argue that it will make it easier for people to filter or block unwanted adult content, as well as to help with the self-regulation of the web porn industry.

ICANN, which is appointed by the US government to oversee the internet, ruled that in order to maintain neutrality in dealing with new domain names, it should create the .xxx suffix and allow adult entertainment websites to sign up to the scheme on a voluntary basis.


Online pornography is a vast industry. According to stats by Internet Pornography Statistics suggest more than $3,000 is spent on Internet pornography every second, with "sex" the number one search term in the world, accounting for 25 percent of all Internet searches. With an estimated 370 million pornographic websites on the Internet, .xxx could become one of the largest domain name repositories, as big if not bigger than .com. But some members of the adult entertainment industry oppose .xxx, saying it will invite censorship and harm their business.

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