Pornography is about to get its own domain suffix.
From here:
After a 10-year battle, Internet watchdog Icann has finally given in to the creation of an Internet domain dedicated to pornography.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, which governs the website naming system, yesterday approved the creation of a top level ‘.xxx’ domain, opening the way for a red-light district online for pornographic websites.
Icann gave initial approval last year, but carried out further consultation checks over the application.
It is now poised to sign an agreement with the ICM Registry, which is backing the domain, allowing .xxx the same level status as .com and .org.
Religious groups argue that giving adult websites their own corner of the Internet legitimises the content.
But pornographers aren’t happy either, and worry it will ghettoise their sites.
I’m in at least three minds about this:
First, I am in favour of free speech on the Internet and that includes saying and displaying things I disagree with.
Second, I think pornography is harmful; since we are well past the stage where it can be banned, ghettoising it might be the next best thing.
Third, pornography is only a symptom of Western decay; to focus energy on its evils is to treat the symptom, not the disease. The West needs more radical medicine.
I think I’ll settle on number three, garnished with number 2.
“… pornography is only a symptom of Western decay…”
True, but it also a cause that has hastened it. It is a snowballing effect.
The great error was in accepting pornography under freedom of expression when, frankly, it should have fallen under the category of reasonable exceptions to that freedom. Pornography, especially on the internet, has done untold damage; to relationships, marriages and healthy attitudes to sexuality. It is extremely demeaning to women and harmful to children who, make no mistake, have easy acess to it.
Bring on the .xxx domains….Much easier to block sites with filters that way. No more getting porn sites by accidentally spelling a popular website name incorrectly, and then having to put that variant in the blocked sites list. Put them in their well deserved ghetto.
Fully agree. Let’s make it easier for parents to block this filth.
Won’t every company need to buy up and bury their trademarks in that domain? I mean, can IBM let anyone else operate IBM.xxx?
Which makes this actually blackmail.
Good point. Since domain names are so cheap, I think I’ll buy niagara.anglican.xxx before someone else snaps it up.
Oh, you should buy ottawa.anglican.xxx too!
Good idea. I’ll redirect them both to Anglican Samizdat.
ROFL