.XXX domain for internet porn sites

I saw a group today trying to drum up support for a new Top Level Domain (TLD). For readers not familiar with this term a TLD is the top level grouping of a set of internet addresses. Some others are:

• .COM - Generally thought as the default TLD this was intended for commercial purposes.
• .NET - This generally includes domains whose function deals with communication, such as Internet Service Providers (ISP).
• .ORG - These would be community addresses, such as charity organizations or not-for-profit efforts.
• .EDU - These are educational addresses
• .GOV - US Government sites.
  

There are TLDs for different countries, as well:

• .UK - United Kingdom
• .CA - Canadia (lol)
  

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is the organization that keeps track of which TLDs exist and what their stated purpose is. They have been petitioned a few times to create a .XXX TLD, most recently the board discussed and rejected the request on 20 March, 2007. You can read their Meeting Notes to see the specific arguments affecting their decision.

Their reasons for rejecting the petition echo my own thoughts when I initially heard about this effort. Here are a few of my concerns

1) Who will be in charge of policing this policy?
- US vs International entities
It is easy for us to forget that the Internet is an international entity. No single government controls its functions, though many governments have laws regarding the manner in which its citizens are allowed to use Internet content. This means that while my kingdom of Topheria may consider the use of "coke" and "delicious" in the same sentence as grounds for public flogging, the United States has no such law. Who is to say that CokeLovers.com, which was created by somebody in Ukraine should or should not change their content because it offends me?

- Manpower to search the Internet for adult content.
The Internet is not a single entity. It is the sum of every individual that puts any content on any networked computer anywhere in the world. the Transmission Control Protocol / Inter networking Protocol (TCP/IP) was designed to allow an arbitrarily large number of computers to "talk to each other" and it is used by a plethora of computers now. My laptop, on which I test my web page code is just as much the Internet as Google's data center up the Colombia Gorge. Who is going to hire and support the army of billions it will take to inventory every piece of information on every computer that ever connects to any other computer via TCP/IP?

2) How will we define the types of content that belong in this TLD?
- Nudity?
Perhaps the most difficult part of this idea is determining what exactly is "Adult Content" (AKA Pornography). Is nudity pornography? How much exposure is required before somebody is considered nude? Some people believe it is indecent for a woman to show her ankles or even her face in public. Others believe it is perfectly acceptable to wear only a loin cloth. Who gets to decide for every web site in the world what percentage of visible skin is considered nude?

For argument's sake let's say that nudity means that the person in question is wearing absolutely no clothes at all. Many museums and art galleries must now move their internet content to this .XXX domain. Most of Michelangelo's most recognizable works include people wearing no clothing at all. It looks like the Vatican will have to move their Sistine Chapel site now.

- Audio / Text content?
Perhaps we are missing an important set of content here. Adult content can be transmitted with words and sound files, too. Should we consider anything that has anatomical references subject to this new TLD? What about educational content, such as medical in formation about Venerial Disease? What about clothing advertisements that cover those areas of the body? Does my wife need to now go to a .XXX domain in order to find out if the new bra she heard about has better support than the one she currently uses?

How about the unexpected side effects of global content? One word may be perfectly acceptable in one country but extremely vulgar in another. Perhaps the words sound identical but have completely different meanings in different languages. Perhaps a word was considered vulgar 100 years ago but is commonplace now or vice versa. Who will determine the context within which this content is categorized

- Is sexual content the defining criteria?
Often this type of discussion fixates on sexual content, making it synonymous with "Adult Content". If we are interested in filtering inappropriate connect from our children (or ourselves) then what about violence? What about content that promotes hatred and prejudice or illicit drug use? Aren't those just as offensive and damaging as sexual references?

- Degree of separation?
There are obviously extremes that are easily classified. Some Internet sites are clearly intended to deliver prurient content, while others are clearly intended to deliver completely benign content. with only two classifications available (.XXX or everything else), it's the area in between those extremes that become very difficult. We simply cannot meet the needs of the general population if our only options are black and white.

My solution
The left-brained part of me agrees It would be nice to have a simple way to categorize Internet content I consider offensive. I would love to filter it with a single button. I simply don't see this proposal as a comprehensive solution. The sites that would register themselves under the new TLD are already identifying themselves in such a way that existing products, such as Cyber Patrol or Net Nanny already filter them. why go through the expense and effort of re-inventing something that already works as well as the new one would?

The best way to protect our children, IMNSHO (In My Not So Humble Opinion), is to educate them. We cannot always shelter them from the existence of offensive or inappropriate material. This becomes painfully obvious by spending a few hours in public. I regularly experience R-rated life from the basketball court next to my daughter's soccer practices. Adult themes often play out in the mall. Should I lock my kids up in the house so they never have to experience such things?

No I should teach them proper boundaries, teach them how to appropriately react when confronted with people exceeding these boundaries, and practice the very same habits myself that I want my kids to learn. When they stumble onto a website, book, television show, or conversation that is offensive to their sensibilities they need the ability to close it, change it, leave. Simply sheltering them from the existence of such things will cause either curiosity or paralysis when they are inevitably confronted with it.

When they encounter predatory behavior in any of these topics (be it harassment, drug dealers, or whatever) they need the ability to protect themselves and report the behavior. Pretending such things don't exist will not stop predators from appearing. It simply adds to the tally of available victims.

This is how we protect our children. Teach them. We arm them with skills and knowledge. We show them by our own examples