Not only should the new domain be set aside for children’s content, but it also should be monitored by an independent body, the report suggests. The purpose, according to author Marielle de Sernez, is to give parents added tools to screen their computers from content they don’t want their children to see.
"It's time access providers offered parents special Internet services targeted at children with an automatic filter," Sarnez told a news conference.
Sarnez also is calling on the European Commission to create a toll-free telephone number that will teach parents how to effectively screen the Internet, including steps to avoid chat rooms and other sexual advances on the web.
Sarnez pointed to recent research that estimates one in three children view pornographic images on the Internet.
The proposal comes during a chaotic time in the domain arena, where many unlikely groups from all facets of the political spectrum are joining in opposition to the .XXX domain. But Brandon Shalton, the software developer behind FightTheDotXXX.com, as well as the Acacia-opposing site FightThePatent.com, says .kid is a clear step in the right direction.
“It’s about white listing versus black listing,” Shalton told XBiz. “Black listing means if you’re on my list then my browser won’t let me access your site, but the problem is there are too many sites out there to effectively blacklist. White listing, on the other hand, means only sites that are on my list are allowed. Nothing else can get through.”
Shalton added that adult websites would have no interest in trying to “sneak” into a .kid domain either, effectively filtering themselves from the domain.
“Why would an adult website want to target kids?” he asked. “They don’t have credit cards. They can’t pay for access. It’s absolutely absurd. Plus all domains go through the same review process, so everything written about how to regulate .XXX can be used to regulate and protect .kid as well.”
ICANN is expected to decide on .XXX by Sept. 15.