.xxx domain names for adult sites resurface

  According to a report on BBC News, members of ICANN, which oversees the Internet’s naming system, will vote on a plan to relax the strict rules on so-called top-level domain names.
  If approved, it is likely to mean that X-rated adult sites could soon start to use the name .xxx alongside .com for the first time. The plans are part of a broader overhaul of the Internet’s address system that could also see the introduction of names such as .bank, .sport and .film.
  John Carr, a British government advisor on Internet safety, told BBC News: “Internet safety campaigners support the idea of the .xxx domain name because it makes it easier to track and block pornographic content.
  “In the short run I think there are potential problems of confusion, but in the long term, I think all responsible pornography companies will move their domains into the .xxx area.”
  Pat Trueman, spokesman for Alliance Defense Fund, said history has shown that pornographers often ignore the law: “There are already strong U.S. laws prohibiting hardcore porn on the Internet. Federal obscenity laws provide not only very heavy fines and jail time but also forfeiture of assets. Yet pornographers have been on the Internet since its beginning.” He said the .xxx area gives false hope for an easy cure.
  www.scmagazineuk.com, 9/30/09