You are here - HomePune TalkingBloggers Park Story

Bloggers Park

.xxx DOMAIN

Posted On Thursday, July 01, 2010 at 11:01:39 PM



For some time now, many groups have called for a special .xxx domain that clearly designates pornographic content on the Internet. How easy would it be to simply filter everything in the so-called “Internet Red-Light District?”

Now that the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has tentatively agreed to create such a top-level domain, don’t go dumping your content filters just yet.

Guess what? It’s just a name. Have you ever been to Amsterdam? It’s an incredibly cool city with rich history, beautiful museums, countless cultures and all of their associated tasty food, easy walks through the canals, friendly people, and a Red Light District that must be seen to be believed.

Even if you have no interest in the pot, the prostitutes, or the live sex shows, it’s worth a quick walk through just to say, “Huh…I don’t think I’m in Kansas anymore.”

However, coffeeshops selling marijuana and hash can be found throughout Amsterdam. The concentration is highest in the Red Light District, but they certainly exist elsewhere. Same for prostitution. It’s legal and regulated throughout the Netherlands.

The .xxx domain will be no different. Only about 10% of the adult sites on the web would adopt a .xxx domain name. It is, after all, just a name. ICANN doesn’t set laws or policies. It simply decides, among other things, what top-level domains are available for registration and to whom.

So here’s what this development boils down to for schools, parents, and anyone else who wants to regulate how much pornography kids see online: nothing.

Even some large religious groups opposed the creation of the .xxx domain, suggesting that creation of such a domain would actually encourage online pornography. Interestingly, the city of Amsterdam has moved in recent years to restrict their own Red Light District, citing criminal activity and abuse of the laissez-faire laws in the city.

Will the use of the .xxx domain end any differently? Probably not.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/education





Mail this article Mail this article Print this article Print this article Translate this article Translate this article Rate me....
Share Share Reddit.com Share del.icio.us Share StumbleUpon.com