Wall Street Journal Weighs in on .XXX

NEW YORK — It’s not often that the conservative Wall Street Journal turns its attention to online porn, but that’s exactly what it did today in an article focusing on .XXX, which the Journal called a “flashpoint for criticism” over the larger issue of U.S. dominance of the Internet.

In large measure, the article focused on the brief history of the controversial proposed top-level domain, and to a lesser extent, gave background on Stuart Lawley and Jason Hendeles, the principals behind ICM Registry, the company that stands to gain from approval of .XXX.

While ICM Registry serves as the protagonist of the piece, the article seems to conclude that the company, and by extension .XXX, are the collective victims of a right-wing conservative campaign against pornography and, to a lesser extent, backlash from the adult industry.

Citing a letter from Fred Schwien, an executive secretary at the U.S. Commerce Department, which has influence, if not control, over ICANN, the Journal concluded that conservative values were the real force behind the anti-.XXX campaign. The person that matters most in this debate, the letter states, is Jim Dobson, an evangelical Christian host of the daily radio show “Focus on the Family.”

While that may be something of an overstatement in an attempt to put a public face on the conservative criticism that .XXX merely encourages more Internet pornography, the article pays scant attention to objections raised by the adult industry, mentioning Steven Hirsch, CEO of Vivid, only briefly at the end.

According to the article, Hirsch suggests that .XXX may be the only issue that the porn industry and the conservative right can agree on.

The article briefly mentions the adult industry’s financial objections to .XXX — Hirsch comments that .XXX would negate millions of dollars invested into .com — but no mention is made of the industry’s 1st Amendment concerns.

Putting a sympathetic touch on the plight of ICM Registry, the article closes with a quote from Lawley.

“We never said we're going to save the whales or stop world hunger,” he said. “We fit the criteria. The only question is, Will someone intervene at the last minute?”

ICANN could vote as early as today on .XXX.

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

Strike 3 Holdings Sues Meta for Pirating Vixen Media Group Content to Train AI

Vixen Media Group owner Strike 3 Holdings filed suit in federal court this week, accusing Facebook parent company Meta of copyright infringement and alleging that Meta has extensively pirated VMG content to train its artificial intelligence models.

Pineapple Support, Streamate to Host 'Navigating Grief and Loss' Support Group

Pineapple Support and Streamate are hosting a free online support group to help performers cope with grief and loss.

Friday is Final AV Compliance Deadline in UK

Friday, July 25 marks U.K. media regulator Ofcom’s deadline for user-to-user services such as tube, cam and fan sites to implement its requisite “highly effective age assurance” measures for preventing minors from viewing adult content.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches for May, June

AEBN has released the top search terms for the months of May and June from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Ofcom Releases Transparency Reporting Guidelines

Ofcom, the U.K. media regulator, has made public its official guidance detailing how online service providers — including adult sites — will be required to publish annual transparency reports on their efforts to protect children from online harms.

New AV Rules Take Effect for Ireland-Based Sites

Ireland’s Online Safety Code came into force Monday, including a provision requiring adult sites headquartered in Ireland to implement age assurance measures beyond self-declaration.

XBIZ Amsterdam Calls on New Startups for 'Spotlight' Program

XBIZ is pleased to announce that its new “Startup Spotlight” programming will make its European premiere at XBIZ Amsterdam 2025, set to take place Sept. 2-5 at the Jakarta Hotel Amsterdam.

Texas Resumes AV Lawsuit Against Aylo Following SCOTUS Decision

A district court judge in Texas has unfrozen the state’s $1.6 million lawsuit against Aylo for allegedly failing to comply with age verification requirements, Bloomberg Law is reporting.

JuicyAds Wins Trademark Infringement Case Against Fraudulent Domain

JuicyAds has won its World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) case against a website using a similar domain to impersonate the company's site and defraud customers.

Anissa Kate, Jordan Starr Top AEBN for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top-selling stars for the second quarter of 2025, with Anissa Kate landing atop the leaderboard for straight theaters and Jordan Starr heading up the gay rankings.

Show More