Internet regulators have rejected proposals to introduce
a .xxx domain suffix for porn websites.
Advocates for .xxx claimed such a domain would make it easier
for users to find sex sites and help others to avoid them.
Internet regulator Icann rejected plans to introduce a .xxx
domain in the face of opposition from both the religious right in
the US and from within the porn industry.
Conservatives said such a domain would “legitimise” porn, while
some porn companies feared it would bring them under greater state
control.
The idea of a .xxx domain was first floated in 2001, but the
decision over whether to introduce it has been postponed several
times.
The US Department of Commerce had also expressed reservations
about allowing .xxx.
ICM Registry, the company that wanted to run the .xxx domain,
claimed it would have made it easier for users to find or filter
out porn sites.
