Interesting [Canadian Press] views on .xxx

Begin forwarded message:

From: Steve Goldstein <[email protected]>
Date: January 6, 2007 7:49:27 PM EST
To: "David Farber [IP]" <[email protected]>
Subject: Interesting [Canadian Press] views on .xxx



http://www.canada.com/topics/technology/news/gizmos/story.html?=20
id=3Da40c099a-960e-4336-9f7a-4588dcf7ffae&k=3D56653

Saturday =BB January 6 =BB 2007

Internet oversight body revives proposal for domain name for porn

Anick Jesdanun
Canadian Press

Saturday, January 06, 2007

NEW YORK (AP) - The Internet's key oversight agency has revived a=20=20
proposal it earlier rejected that would create an online red-light=20=20
district, after adding stronger provisions to prohibit child=20=20
pornography and require labelling of websites with sexually explicit=20=20
materials.
The use of the proposed ".xxx" domain name would remain voluntary,=20=20
but any porn sites that choose to use it instead of the more popular=20=20
".com" would be subject to the new terms issued late Friday by the=20=20
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers or ICANN.
The idea of a separate ".xxx" domain has generated significant=20=20
opposition from conservative groups and even some pornography websites.
But ICANN officials said they initially rejected the proposal in May=20=20
not because of the opposition but out of concern that the agency=20=20
might be put in a difficult position of having to enforce all of the=20=20
world's laws governing pornography. They noted that various counties'=20=20
free speech laws sometimes conflict.
The new proposal does not directly address any potential conflicts in=20=20
laws, but it calls for the company backing it, ICM Registry Inc. of=20=20
Jupiter, Fla., to hire independent organizations to monitor porn=20=20
sites' compliance with the new rules.
ICANN, the Marina del Rey, Calif.,-based agency designated by the=20=20
U.S. government to oversee domain name policies, opened the proposal=20=20
to public comment but did not indicate when it would rule.
If approved, ICM would be required to help develop mechanisms for=20=20
promoting child safety and preventing child pornography, "including=20=20
practices that appeal to pedophiles or suggest the presence of child=20=20
pornography on the site."
Porn sites would have to participate in a self-descriptive labelling=20=20
system, likely one from the Internet Content Rating Association.=20=20
Under it, websites add tags based on such criteria as the presence of=20=20
nudity and whether it is in an artistic or educational context, such=20=20
as for sites on breast feeding. Relatively few sites now participate,=20=20
although major web browsers have mechanisms for reading the tags.

ICM also would have to develop automated tools to check for=20=20
compliance and give users ways to report violations.
ICM believes the domain would help the US$12-billion online porn=20=20
industry clean up its act, as those using it must abide by rules=20=20
designed to bar such trickery as spamming and malicious scripts.

Anti-porn advocates counter that sites would be free to keep their=20=20
current ".com" address, in effect making porn more easily accessible=20=20
by creating yet another channel to house it.
Many porn sites also objected, fearing that an ".xxx' domain would=20=20
pave the way for governments or even private industry to filter=20=20
speech that is protected in the United States by the First Amendment.


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