New .XXX domain... good idea or bad idea?
So we've been hearing a lot around here about the new potential .XXX domain for all sites with adult content. While some are saying it's great because it will essentially create a red light district and also make the sites adhere to a set of "better business practices", others are saying that it just makes it all the easier for people to access porn.
The article below goes into detail about it [or you can read it here.] What are your thoughts, as a community of those who have struggled with addictions? [Also, note the subtly hilarious title.]
X-Rated Web Domain Arouses Opponents
Sex-addiction counselors are slamming a decision by an Internet-regulatory agency to tentatively approve the creation of a . xxx suffix for adult-oriented sites -essentially paving the way for an online red-light district.
"It can make young people and other people much more vulnerable to get caught up in it," Penny Lawson, a manager at Bellwood Health Services in Toronto, said through a spokeswoman. "They won't have to do too much searching to find it. It's a one-stop shop."
The board of directors of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, endorsed the concept of creating a new . xxx domain for adult entertainment sites during a meeting in Brussels on Friday.
ICM Registry, a Floridabased company that registers domain names, has been seeking approval from ICANN to create a . xxx domain since 2004.
"It's been a long time coming, but I'm excited about the fact that . xxx will soon become a reality," ICM chairman Stuart Lawley said. "This is great news."
The company said it already has 110,000 reservations for . xxx sites, each going for $60 a year. It hopes to go live with . xxx sites by early 2011.
ICM says while joining the . xxx domain is voluntary, adult-website operators stand to benefit from joining because they will be required to adhere to a set of "best-business practices," which will boost their credibility.
Another benefit of having adult sites under one umbrella is it will make it easier for parents to block access to adult content on their computers.
"The effective labelling of content, so that individuals and search engines know that . xxx websites likely contain adult content, will allow for simple and effective filtering for those who wish to do so," the company said.
But critics dismissed the suggestion that the Web will somehow be cleaned up.
If anything, having the . xxx domain will entice people to view porn, said Andrew McWhinnie, a sex-addiction counsellor in Victoria.
"It's saying: 'If you want it, come here,' " McWhinnie said. "Anything making it more accessible -which I think this does -damages the fabric of our society."
Indeed, computer experts said they doubt that providers of adult-themed entertainment would completely drop their . com domain names. Instead, they'd likely keep their . com domain names and add . xxx domain names.
