CDT Asks Government to Stay Out of .XXX Decision

WASHINGTON — Citing free speech issues, John Morris, staff counsel for the Center for Democracy and Technology, recently sent a letter to Commerce Department Assistant Secretary Michael Gallagher requesting that Commerce remove itself from the .XXX decision-making process.

In August, Gallagher successfully petitioned ICANN to postpone its contract with the registry for the controversial adults-only domain, ICM Registry.

In his letter to Gallagher, Morris protests Commerce’s role in pressuring ICANN to delay approval of the .XXX sponsored top-level domain.

While Morris asserts that the CDT neither supports nor opposes the domain, he says he sees great danger in direct government intervention on issues such as .XXX.

Morris says he is particularly troubled by Commerce’s actions because “in this instance… the delay in approval treads dangerously close to crossing a well-settled First Amendment line — potentially stifling the creation of a forum intended for a specific type of constitutionally protected speech.”

Morris is referring to the fact that Commerce’s interference in the .XXX process was a direct response to conservative lobbying groups who fear the domain would help to facilitate the spread of pornography on the Internet — an action that he says amounts to de facto censorship of lawful speech.

Webmasters have expressed their own concerns over .XXX. At an August 2005 Internext seminar, webmasters and industry representatives lashed out at ICM representatives. Many fear that an adults-only domain will give the government justification for forcing adult businesses into an online red-light district.

J. Beckwith Burr, former director of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration who is now working as outside counsel for ICM Registry, recently wrote to ICANN to point out a YNOT message board posting in which “three small adult site operators discuss writing to members of Congress and the Family Research Council to stir up opposition to .XXX by posing as concerned parents, church goers, librarians, etc.” (YNOT's Conner Young tells XBiz that the thread in question was intended as a joke).

While ICM Registry adamantly asserts that it has taken precautions to ensure that .XXX registration would remain voluntary, several legislators have sponsored bills in recent years that would make migration mandatory, helping to feed webmasters’ fears.

Also, Mary B. Conyers, founder of Protect Every Child, recently sent an email to her organization’s members urging them to push ICANN to approve .XXX specifically so that Congress can renew efforts to segregate adult sites on the Internet.

“Without a mandatory movement to .XXX, children and families will continue to be devastated by the pornography that threatens their existence when they stumble across it through deceptively named websites,” Conyers wrote. “Now that .XXX will be in place, it will be easier for the government… to make this a mandatory action.”

ICM Registry had intended to begin accepting registrations by the end of this year, but ICANN has avoided taking further action on .XXX for two consecutive months, leaving the domain in limbo.

Copyright © 2025 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

AEBN Reveals Eva Maxim as Top Trans Star for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top trans stars list for the second quarter of 2025, with Eva Maxim landing atop the leaderboard.

France Reinstates Age Verification Rule for EU Sites

France’s highest court, the Council of State, on Tuesday reinstated age verification rules for EU-based sites under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law, ruling in favor of the French government and against Hammy Media.

Whisper Fans Joins Pineapple Support as Supporter-Level Sponsor

Whisper Fans has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

Utherverse Launches 'Red Light Center' Virtual World

Virtual reality and metaverse technology company Utherverse has launched its new virtual world, RedLightCenter.io.

European Commission Approves AV Guidelines, Unveils Prototype App

The European Commission on Monday released its final, approved guidelines for protecting minors online under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and made public a “white label” age verification app intended to help sites and platforms comply with age verification rules under the DSA.

New Membership Site 'Sluts Corner' Launches

R18 Entertainment has launched a new membership site, SlutsCorner.com.

Roxie Rae Relaunches Site Through XSiteAbility

Roxie Rae has relaunched her site through XSiteAbility.

Federal Appeals Court Vacates FTC 'Click to Cancel' Rule Pending Review

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit on Tuesday vacated the Federal Trade Commission’s “click-to-cancel” rule aimed at making it easier for consumers to cancel online subscriptions, pending further review.

Show More