By W. David Gardner ,
The extreme diversity of the individuals who have banded together to seek a sponsored top-level Internet domain (sTLD)--.xxx--for adult entertainment may be the strongest asset of their application, said the business executive who played a key role in getting them to work together.
"They are radicals on all ends of the spectrum," said Stuart Lawley, who helped develop the application, in an interview. "It's a very disparate group and getting them together was a major feat. But it's all about responsible behavior."
Seeking the sTLD from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is the International Foundation for Online Responsibility (IFOR.) IFOR, whose representatives cover a wide range, is a Canadian non-profit group that would set policy for the .xxx sTLD. The ICM Registry, of Jupiter, Fla, would operate the actual registry.
Lawley, chairman and president of the ICM Registry, said the only way to develop a workable ICANN application was to get all sides on the issue to work together.
The application, according to Lawley, is aimed at creating an identifiable Web area that will help protect children from unwanted adult content, while at the same time enabling "responsible adult-entertainment Web site operators to self-organize and self-regulate on a voluntary basis." Lawley said the fact that IFOR's composition is so diverse will support its application. ICANN is expected to rule on the application this summer.
IFOR's representatives are drawn from child- and family-protection groups; members of the adult-entertainment industry; free-speech, privacy and security advocates; public policy leaders; and IT experts. If the application is successful--a decision is expected this summer--ICM's backend IT work would be carried out by Afilias Global Registry Services.
Lawley said it is "absolutely vital" that the .xxx application go through as a sponsored domain. The measure would give child-protection and privacy advocates a voice in the control and development of adult entertainment. "If someone breaks the rules, their TLD could be taken away," he said.
Lawley said that, with the multibillion dollar adult-entertainment industry accounting for some 20 to 25 percent of Internet traffic, ICM projected 70,000 domains would sign up for the registry in five years. He estimated the total number of adult-entertainment domains roughly at between one and two million. "But we would expect to sign up most of the big players," he said.
As new technologies increasingly are faced with controlling adult entertainment, Lawley envisions the ICM Registry becoming a sort of clearing house on the issue. For instance, 3G mobile-phone operators, who are beginning to be concerned with adult material traveling over their networks, could consult with ICM and the IFOR foundation for guidance.
Lawley noted that .xxx could represent the identifier the Federal Trade Commission has been seeking to help control adult-oriented spam.
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