Irish Domain Registrar Bans ‘Porn’

DUBLIN — While adult entertainment is legal to produce and sell in Ireland, apparently the word “porn” doesn’t pass muster. According to both the Irish registrar of the .ie Internet domain suffix and the Companies Registration Office (CRO), Porn.ie should be banned because it endangers public morality.

Section 3.4 of the .ie naming policy states that web addresses “must not be offensive or contrary to public policy or generally accepted principles of morality.”

Irish IT worker Stephen Ryan attempted to register Porn.ie, but was immediately rebuffed because the name “could be deemed to be offensive to others,” the CRO wrote in the rejection letter.

“They aren’t saying the act of porn is offensive or immoral, they’re saying the word is,” Ryan told the Sunday Times of London. “This baffles me for a number of reasons. How is a word immoral? The act of rape is immoral, but the word ‘rape’ isn’t. It’s the same with murder. Why doesn’t this logic apply to porn, whether or not they think porn is immoral?”

According to the IE Domain Registry (IEDR), it will not stop at banning Porn.ie. Sites with names like Fuck.ie or Cock.ie would be included, as would the “seven dirty words” comedian George Carlin made famous in his stand-up act. IEDR said that 10 applications for the word “porn” have been refused since September 2001, and it is working on a list of words that will be banned.

“I’m just a normal guy,” Ryan said. “I’m not a pornographer. I don’t own a sex shop. I work for a big multinational. It doesn’t make any sense. Porn is perfectly legal in Ireland. I don’t know why they feel that they should be outlawing it and I don’t know how they feel they should be allowed to. What do they want us to call it, dirty pictures?”

IEDR manages all new registrations for the .ie extension. The company claims to offer a “managed service where, unlike other domain names, entitlement to the .ie name is established and cybersquatting is eliminated.”

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