Hot on Facebook

Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

More Technology Stories»

.xxx Porn Sites May Be Coming Soon

Icann to revisit proposal for adult domain name

By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 9, 2010 6:49 AM CST | Updated Mar 9, 2010 7:24 AM CST

(Newser) – If your plans to buy www.johndoe.xxx were hopelessly derailed when Icann reversed a decision to start selling .xxx domain names, never fear: The Internet’s governing body is set to revisit that ruling. “If the contract is signed, we could be selling names by the end of the year,” says the chairman of the group that would sell the names. If you hadn’t yet guessed, the .xxx domain would be used for adult websites.

“Those that do want to see it can; those that don't can filter it out,” the chairman tells the BBC, although porn sites would not be barred from continuing to use other domains. Icann first approved the plan in 2005 but reversed the decision two years later when conservative groups complained; after an arbitration panel found that reversal unfair, Icann agreed to reconsider on March 12.

The Internet may soon offer .xxx domain names for porn sites.

The Internet may soon offer .xxx domain names for porn sites. (Shutter Stock)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

My Take

CLICK BELOW TO VOTE

11%

5%

3%

66%

6%

9%

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Getty Images

35 Brutally Honest Reasons Men Say No to Sex (The Stir)

Man in Mugshot Explains Why He Has Half a Head (HuffPost)

These Exes Were Spotted Making Out … and That's a Bad Thing (Bleacher Report)

Help! I'm Having an Incestuous Relationship With My Twin (Slate)

Which Celeb Dedicated Song to Her Famous Husband Despite Divorce Rumors? (NewsOne)

Partner Links

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

Gay Marriage Clears Big Hurdle in Maryland

Dutch Prince Survives Ski Avalanche

Christie Vetoes Gay Marriage in New Jersey

Mountain Man Terrifying Utah Cabin Owners

New Theory: Music Holds Clue to Stonehenge

Power of Lin? Time Warner, MSG End Blackout

Angry Birds Head Off Into Outer Space

Nephew Sues Uncle Over Awkward Facebook Photos

Dow Rises 46, Gets Closer to 13K

Back to top of Grid

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

Showing 2 of 2 comments

judithmoore1

Apr 9, 2010 3:13 PM CDT

Great idea this will stop all the bad sites getting opened by accident.

Derni

Mar 9, 2010 8:18 PM CST

I can';t wait..great news

What's Popular Now on Facebook

E-Cigarette Explodes in Man's Mouth

E-Cigarette Explodes in Man's Mouth

Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds Major Cash Inside

Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds Major Cash Inside

BBC (Source Grid »)

Technology

Internet • domain names • adult website • pornography • Internet domains • porn industry • internet pornography • .xxx

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

Newser Luxury Living Stories

See our Luxury Living grid »

More Newser Stories

Raunchy .XXX Debuts Online

First .xxx sites spring up despite porn purveyors' objections

(NEWSER) - The Internet's "red light district" has gone live, with the first sites using the .xxx domain name suffix making their debut. ICM Registry, the company tasked with running the new domain, says .xxx will only be available to the adult industry. For now, however, new sites like porn.xxx, sex.xxx, and xxx.xxx aren't offering anything too racy: They're being used to push sales of other .xxx domain names, the Telegraph notes. More»

Porn Sites Get .XXX Addresses

And porn industry not happy, considering legal action

(NEWSER) - The Internet got its very own street corner yesterday, as the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers gave the greenlight to a ".xxx" virtual redlight district. And purveyors of porn and the religious right alike aren't happy with the decision, reports the New York Times . “Our industry is unanimously opposed,” says a porn trade group rep. The industry says the new designation will enable censorship; religious groups worry that it will further spread pornography. More»

Coming This Week: Dot-Anything

Domain name possibilities to explode on Thursday

(NEWSER) - The Internet is getting a makeover. Starting Thursday, the web will make a big step in moving way beyond dot-com , dot-net, and the like. For the first time since 2000, ICANN, the administrator of Internet addresses, will begin taking applications for a huge range of new top-level domain names. Now, companies large and small are racing to cash in on the transition, the Wall Street Journal reports. They're ready to pay the $185,000 application fee to become "registry holders" and control the letters to the right of the dot. More»

Relax, Catholics: No Porn at Vatican.xxx

Church worried someone had bought the racy web address

(NEWSER) - The Vatican may be an expert on the heavenly domain, but apparently it's still a bit shaky when it comes to domain names. A Vatican spokesman complained yesterday that someone had bought up Vatican.xxx, presumably to commit any number of sacrileges against the Holy See. "This domain is not available because it has been acquired by someone else, but not the Vatican," said the rep on the radio, as reported by Reuters . More»

PETA Launching Porn Site

Yes, it's real, spokesperson confirms

(NEWSER) - Buried in a Reuters article from last week is this priceless little nugget: PETA is planning a porn site. In advance of launching the .xxx Internet domain in December, ICM Registry is accepting applications from brand owners who want to protect their brands from being used in a .xxx URL (for example: Barbie.xxx). Turns out PETA is signing up—but not to protect itself; rather, to launch its own site: peta.xxx. A spokesperson told Reuters it will, in fact, be a porn site bringing attention to animal issues; more recently, PETA confirmed the plan to the Huffington Post , and said the site will focus on vegan awareness. Click for more than you probably wanted to know about what will be contained on the site . More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

More from Slate »

More from HuffPost Weird »

More from Business Insider »

More from HuffPost Entertainment »

More from The Week »

More from Daily Intel »

More from Bleacher Report »

More from Celebuzz »

More from The Stir »

More from Adweek »

Other Sites We Like: 24/7 Wall St. | Betty Confidential | BuzzFeed | Cracked | Fark | Timelines | The Frisky | Geek Sugar | NewsOne

Tools
RSS
Mobile
More News
AP News Wire

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

© 2012 Newser, LLC. All rights reserved.

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website