The ‘Dirty’ Domain: Your Thoughts On .XXX?

After years of battles and reversed decisions, .xxx domains are finally going to be available for pornographic sites. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) seems to have made .xxx an available top-level domain despite some debate surrounding the issue.

It wasn’t until recently that porn was passed by social media as the number one activity on the web, and it’s clearly a huge, if not as widely accepted, part of the internet. Having a .xxx right out there along with .com, .org, .tv, .mobi, and all the rest seems like a natural extension of domains, but .xxx didn’t get here easily.

Opponents, some of which are from the adult industry, say that potential problems include the added cost to register such domains, damage to the value of existing porn sites .com name, the strong chance that most places of business and even whole countries will block the .xxx domain, and other groups claiming that allowing a .xxx domain sanctions explicit material.

Those supporting the idea say that the .xxx domain will allow adult material to consolidate in a virtual ‘red light district’ online which would actually make pornographic sites more easily avoided by children and others that could accidentally happen upon sites with a regular .com ending.

As registration of the new .xxx sites begins, what do you think the result of the new ending will be? Do you agree with the decision to allow .xxx names? Will it really make it easier control pornographic content? Do you care that it might hurt the adult industry? Will it create a place a ‘red light district’ on the internet?

Let us know what you think below, this will definitely be interesting to watch unfold when .xxx hits the internet in full force. How will schools, businesses, and other institutions react? Will they will grateful or look at the .xxx as a new hassle?