Dot-XXX Opposition

Wow. We didn’t see this one coming, did we?

Actually, we did. But who listens to us? We’re just members of the adult entertainment industry. What could we possibly know about… oh, anything, really, right? ICM Registry has certainly appeared to have come to that conclusion.

Egypt recently demonstrated internet censorship on a national level by simply… cutting access for everyone (except, presumably, top government officials/agencies.) That, in and of itself, should chill the virtual marrow of anyone who believes in the free and reasonably unfettered exchange of information. Of course, so much depends upon the definition of “reasonably” and “unfettered.”

Fortunately, the situation in Egypt, like that in Iran previously, also showed the world that those who truly want to reach the other side of the virtual wall of silence can — with a little help from their social network/microblogging friends.

That’s reassuring… but why should we need that kind of reassurance?

– Darklady

US Gov’t Interest In Domain Name Veto Represents Yet Another PR Nightmare
from the does-no-one-think-about-this-stuff dept

It appears that it’s now been confirmed that the Commerce Department really does want veto power for any government over a particular TLD. The reports suggest that there’s concern about TLD’s like “.gay” which some countries may not like, and some of the fear is driven by the .xxx debacle, when ICANN initially approved a .xxx domain, thinking it would be a “redlight district” for porn, but then after public outcry, the US government pressured ICANN to change its mind. This was especially funny because no one seemed sure whether or not .xxx was good or bad for kids. There were some people who thought .xxx would be “good” for kids by creating an area that was easy to rope off and keep kids out of. Others argued that .xxx was bad because it admitted that porn existed (or something like that).

To read more, visit: Techdirt and check for similar articles in the sidebar.

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I’m not without sympathy for the situation that ICM Registry and Stuart Lawley have found themselves in. Nobody likes to realize that they’ve just executed a brilliant and high profile re-enactment of the Pearl Harbor attack using their business.

On the other hand, just because someone dumps a load of money into a hole doesn’t mean that the world owes them the right to declare the hole a resort and insist that everyone affirm their delusion.

Given how willing Lawley has been to assure adult web professionals that he’s a wealthy, successful, hard-working businessman with an amazing product that every adult webmaster will want and should be eager to fork over good money and more for… it’s hard not to take at least a wee bit of satisfaction in the fact that he and his company aren’t feeling quite so smug anymore.

It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out, that’s the one certainty in this situation.

– Darklady

.XXX Demands Approval in Brussels

ICM Registry has called on ICANN to quickly give final approval to its .xxx top-level domain contract after its meeting with governments next month.

That consultation is set to take place in Brussels at the end of February (although ICANN’s announcement of the meeting last Friday conspicuously made no mention of .xxx).

To learn more, visit: Domain Incite

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There are times when it almost seems like GAC isn’t a big fan of ICM Registry, the friend of all adult internet professionals and their site visitors.

For whatever reason, neither it nor ICANN mentioned .XXX in relation to this postponement in fulfilling the dreams of several TLD hopefuls — including the only one that has so divided the two entities that ICANN quoted chapter and verse to GAC for not green lighting the porn “resort.”

This should be interesting… and March should be fascinating.

– Darklady

New TLDs may face more GAC delay

ICANN has finally confirmed the date for its groundbreaking meeting with its Governmental Advisory Committee, and it doesn’t look like great news for new top-level domain applicants.

This means that, post-Brussels, a second GAC consultation will be required before the ICANN board will be able to approve the Guidebook.

Learn more at: Domain Incite

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All I want to know is why prostitution is illegal, but Network Solutions can sell ICM Registry .XXX domains. Seems so wrong on so many levels.

– Darklady

Network Solutions will sell .xxx domains

Network Solutions has become the first big-name registrar to show that it will support the proposed .xxx top-level domain.

The TLD is currently being tied up by ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee, but many believe it’s likely to be a shoo-in at the San Francisco meeting in March or sooner.

Learn more at: Domain Incite

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How absolutely thoughtful of ICM Registry and Stuart Lawley to offer to make the process of censoring porn so much easier!

Yeah, they’re on our side.

Thanks so much, you guys.

– Darklady

Should ISPs Censor Porn?

UK Conservatives usually lean left of American Democrats, but their latest porn-blocking proposal appears to take a cue from the right.

ISPs can only censor sites by selecting specific IP addresses to block. The problem is, most Web sites share IP addresses, so blocking one site would block many, possibly unrelated, sites. This isn’t a problem if you live in China, or a country that doesn’t mind overblocking. Earlier this year Australia appeared to go down this path but is probably stepping away after learning what it entailed.

To read more, visit: PC Magazine

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Producers of erotic materials have been innovators and horizon walkers since cave painting days. Ironically, we’re still getting turned on by the same things — including some of the supposedly more exotic same things.

Sexually frank sights, sounds, and stories have long forced societies to confront their short-comings and fears… and now the question of whether an .XXX sTDL belongs on the internet puts ICANN in the position of doing some administrative self-inventory.

The additional wait has to be making ICM Registry’s metaphorical sphincter clench. I don’t have a problem with that. Better its than ours.

– Darklady

The long-running .xxx top-level domain saga has tested ICANN processes to their limits over the last decade, and it looks like it may do so at least one more time.

The GAC operates on a consensus basis. When it can’t find consensus, its communiqués also reflect minority positions. So ICANN now wants to know whether the Wellington letter constitutes GAC “advice”.

To read more, visit: DomainIncite

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The man who wrote this hits some of the basic pro- and anti-.XXX arguments and makes some excellent observations about previous TLDs released and barely used due to the comfort and familiarity of the .com option. Remember .mobi and .eu?

Most other people don’t, either.

Although Jonathan ultimately concludes that purchasing an .XXX domain is probably not a good idea for most people, he does mention the allegedly 180,000 pre-registrations.

You know, the pre-registrations that aren’t supposed to be used as proof that we want this online albatross?

He also points out that although 180,000 is a big number, it’s a lot smaller than 174 million, which is the number of non-.XXX domains that are registered in an average year.

For those who don’t want to read the entire article, this is the punch line: “In short, if you aren’t an adult webmaster, you don’t have much reason to look at getting a .XXX domain and, even if you are, there are many reasons to pass.”

Hear, hear!

– Darklady

An .xxx top level domain (TLD) is on its way according to ICM Registry, a domain registrar similar to GoDaddy or Tucows. Earlier this summer, after several rejections, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), approved the new TLD. ICM say they’ll be selling domains with the “.xxx” extension sometime in early 2011, barring any problems with technical and financial qualifications.

In other words, ICM has a plan and, if they managed to pull it off, here’s what you can expect with the impending XXX domain rush.

To read more, visit: Who Is Hosting This

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The international online community is naturally sensitive to the possibility that the United States might want to keep control of the internet and its crankiness about .XXX may well feed that sensitivity, if this article is to be believed.

This is one more reason that it’s vitally important for those of us in the online adult entertainment industry (as well as those offering frank, non-”porn” content) to make sure it’s understood that it’s not just the US government that doesn’t want .XXX — it’s also the people who qualify for membership in the sTLD community.

Time is running out, so send your comments to ICANN before September 23.

Need inspiration? Other comments can be viewed at xxx-revised-icm-agreement.

“Most users today seem to approach the existence and configuration of the Internet with the same vague appreciation they bring to the supply of, say, electricity. We generally take it for granted, and assume that its specific parameters and characteristics just sort of happened – as if by some law of nature – in the ways that we experience and take advantage of them today. From a security perspective, we are also aware that we depend hugely upon the system, and understand or intuit at some level that this entails great vulnerability to the system being degraded or shut down by those who wish us ill.

What is less appreciated, however, is how contingent the Internet’s current organization actually is, how much this arrangement is the product of choices that have in recent years become subject to political contestation, and how much the thing we take most for granted and regard as being the most fundamental characteristic of the modern Internet – its role as a boundary-erosive, information-aggregating, and ubiquitously-accessible global data “superhighway” – is in fact still somewhat up for grabs. Most users probably fail to appreciate the degree to which, quite apart from issues of “cyber security” as they are usually understood in the West, a struggle has been underway for the last few years over who will control the Internet’s future, and to what end…”

To read more, visit: Hudson

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It looks like everybody at the AVN Show likes a satirical video — but they also realize that this is serious business… and that no one who actually works in the adult industry seems to know anyone in the adult industry who supports the .XXX sTLD.

How can that be, given that Lawley insists he has thousands of reserved domain name requests from enthusiastic site owners and a mysterious, but enormous, horde of supporters?

Why all the secrecy, especially while complaining that ICANN isn’t being transparent enough for ICM Registry’s comfort?

–Darklady

“HOLLYWOOD, Fla.—The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) organized a panel Saturday morning at The AVN Show that featured several members of the adult industry speaking to a room full of attendees about their concerns regarding the planned dot-XXX sTLD. The hour-long session also kicked off with the debut of a short film that satirized the ICM Registry application…”

To read more, visit: AVN

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This blogger thinks that both of the proposed TLDs will move forward — and ICM Registry certainly thinks its going to inherit the world, or at least a fair segment of its wide web, so perhaps today really is the day that Stuart Lawley and his mysterious team members have been dreaming of. Hopefully ICANN has better sense than that, however.

– Darklady

“ICM Registry will find out whether its contract to run .xxx will have to face a potentially lengthy review by ICANN’s notoriously slow-footed Governmental Advisory Committee.”

To read more, visit: Domain Incite

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Oh, to be a butterfly on the wall during this panel, especially since non-industry professional Stuart Lawley claims he’ll be in attendance.

This is an impressive lineup of people who “get” the online adult entertainment industry and are capable of articulating what they know.

– Darklady

“Titled “Dot-XXX: A Broad-based Perspective from Industry Leaders,” the panel includes Duke, Hustler President Michael Klein, BurningAngel.com founder Joanna Angel, and MiKandi Chief Software Architect Christopher Lewicki. The panel will be moderated by Wasteland.com founder Colin Rowntree…”

To read more, visit: AVN

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I’ve heard it said that there are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics. This piece of self-serving nonsense certainly qualifies for all three.

Who knew that when Stuart Lawley insists that there is overwhelming support for the .XXX sTLD he’s referring to people who won’t be purchasing them! It would certainly explain his numbers, given that I’ve never met anyone who thought this thing was a good idea, except for people who want to be able to block sexually frank expression from the rest of the internet.

My favorite part of this bit of back-patting is where he refers to the actual adult online industry (indirectly, of course) as “opponents of dot-xxx” who falsely claim “there is no support for the top-level domain…”

Of course there’s support — just not among the community targeted for this so-called service.

– Darklady

“Do people really want a special dot-xxx Internet extension for adult content? Well, according to the 240,000 people that entered a CNN poll, the answer is a very definite ‘Yes!’”

To read more, visit: ICM Registry Blog

Watch more adult webmasters oppose .XXX and Lawley once again promise to contribute a portion of the domain registration to child protection:

Porn Sites Closer to .xxx Web Address

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There’s nothing like greasing the wheels of commerce in the hopes of seeing them slip into your professional ruts. Lawley promises “one hell of a party” if .XXX is approved at the Cartagena meeting. My guess is that there will be far more dancing by those of us in the industry if ICANN wisely gives this sTLD a pass.

– Darklady

“We are pleased to announce that ICM Registry is a Silver sponsor of the upcoming ICANN meeting in Cartagena in December…”

To read more, visit: ICM Registry Blog

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Part of what motivates online adult content professionals in the USA to feel wary of .XXX is the fear that it might become mandatory, effectively creating a ghetto. Stuart Lawley insists it will instead be a “resort,” but the term “red light district” gets tossed out more than anything, which doesn’t necessarily add prestige to the privately popular but publicly shunned industry.

It’s no surprise that some religious thinkers yearn for a .XXX, but some anti-porn feminists and people who perceive explicitly erotic material to be harmful to minors also yearn for a way to wall it away from the world.

– Darklady

“Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), responsible for managing the assignment of domain names and IP addresses, is getting increasing pressure to decide on a proposed move to create .XXX domains for adult content websites…”

To read more, visit: Blogote

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Before Diane Duke, executive director of the Free Speech Coalition speaks, Stuart Lawley of ICM Registry plays on unfounded fears about porn sites once again, insisting that .XXX will be a place where website owners “that wish to show to the world that they’re labeling their content and responsibly self-regulating can do so” and uses preregistrations as proof that the industry supports the sTLD. Duke refutes this.

Lawley hits the “what about the children” button by saying that $10 from each $60 registration will ultimately go into a non-profit fund that will mostly go into “grants” that ICM will make available to “a range of causes mainly focused on the child-protection arena.” Duke also refutes suggestions that sites are currently irresponsible and need a non-adult entity to regulate online adult content.

The legal adult entertainment industry does not use child actors, nor does it seek out child consumers. These grants make even less sense when you consider the fact that .XXX would 1) make it easier for kids to find porn and 2) easily be blocked by adults willing to use the filtering tools already at their disposal.

Sadly for sex-positive feminists, Susan Cole mourns the fact that .XXX would not be mandatory as a first step toward running it entirely off of the internet entirely. According to Cole, Canadians are far less interested in free speech rights than members of the USA — something potential US expatriates might want to keep in mind.

– Darklady

“TORONTO — Wednesday morning, Free Speech Coalition (FSC) Executive Director Diane Duke engaged in a radio debate with ICM Registry CEO Stuart Lawley and Canadian feminist Susan Cole, the senior entertainment editor for Canada’s…”

To read more, visit: AVN

To hear the debate, visit: Podcast CBC Canada

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Although Stuart Lawley insisted on the Xbiz.net board that “the matter is fully and properly settled,” that is not what everyone else thinks. Among those who disagree are Diane Duke, executive director of the Free Speech Coalition.

According to Duke, “ICANN board members were extremely uncomfortable knowing that no support exists for a .XXX sTLD in the sponsoring community.”

Lawley insists that the allegedly ever-growing number of people pre-registering domains is a clear sign of support. Again, not everyone agrees, and that includes people who’ve pre-registered domains.

– Darklady

“BRUSSELS, Belgium — As the adult industry inches closer to a dedicated .XXX sTLD, the Free Speech Coalition, which opposes the domain name, says the issue is far from over…”

To read more, visit: XBiz

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