The Bush administration is objecting to the creation of a .xxx domain, saying it has concerns about a virtual red-light district reserved exclusively for Internet pornography.

"The Department of Commerce has received nearly 6,000 letters and e-mails from individuals expressing concern about the impact of pornography on families and children," Gallagher said in a letter that was made public on Monday.

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ICANN's vote this year represents an abrupt turnabout from the group's earlier stance. In November 2000, the ICANN staff objected to the .xxx domain and rejected ICM Registry's first application.

At the time, politicians lambasted ICANN's move. Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., demanded to know why ICANN didn't approve .xxx "as a means of protecting our kids from the awful, awful filth, which is sometimes widespread on the Internet." Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., told a federal commission that .xxx was necessary to force adult Webmasters to "abide by the same standard as the proprietor of an X-rated movie theater."

They were damned either way.

This is stupid. If they're labeled .xxx it's real easy to set email filters to block the junk or set browsers to block the domain. NOT approving this means MORE porn being sent out that DOESN'T get blocked because it's showing up under a .com or .net address. Screw "legitimizing" it, it's there, it's not going away, and doing this makes it easier to ID, meaning parents can add some measure of protection.

The people blocking this from going into effect don't give a damn about doing something useful about porn, they want to make sure it's still there to rail against and bring money in for them.

Bush administration objects to .xxx domains | CNET News.com