FSC Attends ICANN-GAC Meeting in Brussels

BRUSSELS, Belgium — Monday’s meeting between the ICANN board of directors and the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) primarily consisted of clarification of the items on which the GAC and the board were at odds, as well as agreeing on the process to consider those items.

Some of the issues addressed were ICANN’s proposed introduction of gTLDs (generic top level domains), procedures for reviewing sensitive strings, market and economic impacts and protection of rights-owners.

The GAC’s U.S. representative Suzanne Sene stressed GAC’s concern over the fragmentation of the Internet, which would result if governments begin to block top level domains.

“Government blocking of TLDs is a real concern,” said FSC's Executive Director Diane Duke.

“My counterpart Fiona Patten, executive director of EROS in Australia, told me that Australia would almost certainly block .XXX.”

Other countries that Duke said were likely to block TLDs included Germany, China, and Saudi Arabia. The U.S. government has indicated that it is likely to seek mandates on TLDs.

“It is clear that a .XXX sTLD is not only bad for adult businesses, but also it is bad for the Internet as a whole," Duke said.

Duke spoke with ICANN CEO Rod Beckstrom and legal counsel John Jeffrey about when and where issues concerning .XXX will be formally considered.

“Beckstrom and Jeffrey told me that the board/GAC consultation will take place on March 17, in San Francisco, at the ICANN conference and that the board would address the results from that meeting the next day, at their board meeting,” Duke said.

This week, FSC will publish a series of articles outlining issues surrounding the proposed .XXX sTLD, which will be published in industry trade publications, as well as on the FSC blog.

Related:  

Copyright © 2024 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Justices Alito, Thomas Invoke Victorian-Era Morality Law, Raising Censorship Concerns

Several national publications reported this week on widespread concern among Free Speech advocates after U.S. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas repeatedly invoked during a hearing the infamous segregation-era law the Comstock Act, which was the cornerstone of U.S. censorship of sexual material from the 1870s until the 1970s.

Skinfluential Management's FansFuel Acquires Fanwire

Creator stats and affiliate marketing platform FansFuel has acquired creator account management tool Fanwire.

Nebraska AV Bill Moves Forward Despite Privacy, Free Speech Concerns

Nebraska’s unicameral Legislature has given first-round approval to LB 1092, the state’s version of the age verification bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists.

AEBN Celebrates 25th Anniversary

The Adult Entertainment Broadcast Network (AEBN) is celebrating its 25th year in business this week.

Performers in Meta Blacklisting Lawsuit Seek to Preserve Antitrust Claims

Adult Performance Artists Guild board officers Alana Evans, Kelly Pierce and Ruby have informed a California court that, although they want to drop their lawsuit claiming that Meta conspired with OnlyFans to blacklist rival premium fan platforms’ talent, they may still pursue antitrust claims in the future.

FSC, Co-Plaintiffs to Ask US Supreme Court to Review Constitutionality of Texas Age Verification Law

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) and its co-plaintiffs in the challenge to Texas’ controversial age verification law have petitioned the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit to stay its recent decision upholding the law, because they intend to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to review the law’s constitutionality.

FSC Vows to Fight Florida Age Verification Law

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has issued a statement vowing to continue fighting Florida’s new age verification law, which was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday as part of a comprehensive bill targeting minors’ use of social media.

Kansas Republican Aims to Create New Bureaucracy to 'Investigate' Porn Websites

Republican state legislators succeeded Monday in moving forward Kansas’ version of the age verification bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists, despite serious concerns raised by House Democrats about the cost of establishing a new bureaucracy tasked with investigating websites for pornographic content.

SK Intertainment Launches 'Skinfluential Management' Agency, FansFuel Joint Venture

Mr. Skin/Mr. Man parent company SK Intertainment has launched new creator agency Skinfluential Management, as well as a new joint venture with Showbizz Media's creator stats and affiliate marketing platform, FansFuel.

Industry Attorney, Free Speech Champion Clyde DeWitt Passes Away at 75

Noted industry attorney Clyde DeWitt passed away on Friday in Las Vegas at 75, according to friends and colleagues.

Show More