US seeks delay in .xxx Web domains, cites strong protests

WASHINGTON--The United States has asked the Internet's regulator to postpone the creation of a new ".xxx" domain for sex-oriented websites, citing an "unprecedented" level of protests.

Michael Gallagher, assistant commerce secretary for communications and information, said in a letter released this week that more time is needed "for these concerns to be voiced and addressed."

Gallagher said his agency "has received nearly 6,000 letters and e-mails from individuals expressing concern about the impact of pornography on families and children" and thus opposing such a designation for websites.

"The volume of correspondence [on the issue] is unprecedented," Gallagher added.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) had announced in June that it opened technical and commercial negotiations for the new top-level domain with the .xxx extension, for what was billed as a self-regulated adult-themed area of cyberspace.

But there have been strong objections from the United States and elsewhere, ICANN officials acknowledged.

Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi, head of ICANN's government advisory committee, said that some countries "had expressed strong positions" to the ICANN board at a recent meeting and that "a number of other governments also expressed some concern with the potential introduction" of the .xxx suffix.

"I believe there remains a strong sense of discomfort" about the .xxx domain, he said in an e-mail to board members, while omitting a direct reference to the suffix because "some e-mail systems filter out anything containing the three letters."

"Based on the foregoing [objections], I believe the board should allow time for additional governmental and public policy concerns to be expressed before reaching a final decision on this TLD," Tarmizi said in his e-mail dated Friday.

ICANN board members were scheduled to consider the proposal later Tuesday at a meeting in California, but an ICANN spokesman noted that the proposed administrator of the domain, ICM Registry, had already agreed to a one-month delay.

Backers of the site argue that use of the .xxx extension would be voluntary, but would create a clearly identifiable area of the Internet that could be blocked for certain users.

ICM chairman Stuart Lawley said the company agreed to the delay to allow ICANN to hear all views but added that he was "disappointed that concerns that should have been raised and addressed weeks and months ago are being raised in the final days before the board is scheduled to approve the agreement negotiated with staff."

Lawley said the .xxx designation would provide an "instantly recognizable label" and "permit responsible members of the online adult-entertainment community to engage in self-regulation to make the Internet safer for families, children, and consumers."