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.
A New York Times story suggested that only 10% of adult sites would be likely to adopt a .xxx domain name. ICANN can’t create laws, it only decides which top-level domain names are available for registration. Adult sites are free to choose any domain they wish, even once the .xxx domain becomes available.
For those who wish to filter out pornographic websites, such as schools, churches and parents, the .xxx domain won’t change anything, not now, and perhaps not ever. The internet is a wild place, but dangerous freedom beats peaceful slavery any day.
