Van Arnam, known in the online adult industry as Johnny V, introduced himself as the owner of I-Bridge International and “the director of the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection.”
Van Arnam made a plea for approval of .XXX in front of the ICANN panel as a means to protect children.
“I'm here to offer my support for dot-xxx and for ICM in their efforts to assist the industry to increase its reach in a thoughtful and child-protective manner,” Van Arnam said. “I began working with ASACP because of a false perception that the depiction of the sexual exploitation of children and the online adult entertainment industry are somehow linked. They're not."
But Joan Irvine, ASACP's CEO, said that Van Arnam message wasn't authorized by the group.
"Mr. Van Arnam has been a volunteer for ASACP for a number of years; most recently in a corporate outreach role," Irvine said. "But he is not an ASACP director; thus, his statement reflects his personal views only.
"Furthermore, no other person or entity outside of ASACP is authorized to speak on ASACP’s behalf."