And the race is on! Naughty URLs now available to the public
Posted by Adriana Tayraco on Wed, Dec 07, 2011
Accredited registrars can now purchase .XXX domains on a first-come, first-serve basis. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers and ICM Registry have finally released their latest attempt at supervising access to porn sites. The new .XXX domains are meant to filter access to adult content and give Internet users a heads-up of the site’s contents.
We have been covering the release of the .XXX domains and the new gTLDs since they were first announced back in July. We also discussed the long list of pros and cons that companies both outside and inside the adult industry are facing with the .xxx registration; financial and legal barriers of entry, an unnecessary burden for businesses wishing to protect their trademarks, cybersquatting risks, and the list goes on. “It is my opinion that .XXX domain is an anticompetitive business practice that works a disservice to all companies that do business on the Internet” said Fabian Thylmann, managing partner of Manwin, which licenses most of Playboy sites. Manwin has gone as far as filing an antitrust suit against ICANN and the ICM.
Companies and institutions have already snatched their trademarked .XXX domains; American Universities have already protected their brands by registering for the adult-oriented domain extension, so have Peta and many others.
A convenient portal, www.buy.xxx, lists all the registrars and it also includes a domain lookup tool. In addition, McAfee is scanning each .XXX registered site daily for malware and other attacks and a MetaCert electronic Family Safety label will let users, organizations, and parents know of the adult content and be able to adjust their browser settings and parental controls. Over 250 million pages have already been labeled using MetaCert according to the ICM Registry website.
"While adult entertainment is enjoyable to many adults, it is not appropriate for all audiences,” said Stuart Lawley, chief executive of ICM Registry. “We created .XXX to address the unique needs of the online adult entertainment industry.”
Comments? Have you registered and or blocked your website? Are you planning on doing so? Let us know.